Adventures of a Past Long Gone
by Shadow-might-write
Summary: (Read Return of the Chosen One first) An Archive of adventures focused around Anakin Skywalker, Mia Rosslyn and Obi-wan Kenobi. Ranging from when Anakin and Mia were Padawans to during the Clone War. (Rated T for moderate swearing)
1. The Horrible Tale of Salloo T4 Part I

This story was originally a one-shot named 'That Shithole of a Planet' but it was removed because the title wasn't rated G. In my defense, I haven't read the New Story guidelines in seven years and it's my first infraction in those seven years since I started on this site, on any account of mine.

I must note that Anakin swears a bit more at this age than he does as an adult and a father, though I tamed it down a bit compared to the original version. The song used in this chapter (because I'm not original enough to write my own) is Coming Home (Part II) by Skylar Grey.

* * *

September 9th, Six years before Galactic Empire

Mia sat on the floor of the cargo hold of their rickety little ship, assigned to them for this mission, a book in her hand and her pack a makeshift pillow. It was something she'd found in the found box of the lost and found at the Jedi Temple, the old Jedi Master who handled it told her the book had been there for two years and that she could keep it. Now she was two hundred and fifty-seven pages in and she couldn't put it down.

"Hey Mia, we're exiting hyperspace in a few minutes, might want to strap yourself in," Anakin's voice crackled through the old in flight speaker, "Wouldn't want you to go flying."

The corner of her mouth twitched up at that, she wasn't even sure what about it she found funny other than Anakin might not mind all that badly to see her 'go flying' considering the argument they'd had this morning about what qualified as necessary on a mission. Apparently a second first-aid kit was unnecessary because all ships came with one. He also thought taking a book was pointless because they weren't there to teach literature. She supposed he thought it was funny in his head but when it came out his mouth all she wanted to do was smack him upside the head.

Standing, she picked up her pack—full of clothing, hygiene supplies and a first-aid kit—and walked up the narrow hallway into the cockpit, silently sliding into the chair behind Anakin, going completely unnoticed by the pilot and his useless 'I don't care for flying' copilot. She watched as Anakin pushed another button, the one she was pretty sure was for the intercom for the ship.

"Mia, are you strapped in yet?" He asked, probably thinking of the less comfortable, more unstable seats in the back of the ship she'd had the great misfortune of jumping into hyperspace in.

"Yeah, and it's so much comfier up than in coach," She joked, thoroughly enjoying the way they jumped at her voice.

"Force, how do you do that?" Anakin complained, "You're like a freaking cat!"

Obi-wan sighed, "I miss the days when she didn't know how loud she was being," He muttered.

"Consider it me making up for fifteen years of being sneaked up on," Mia told them dryly.

"Okay, we're exiting hyperspace," Anakin announced before turning to Obi-wan, "Is there any way to put a bell on her?"

Obi-wan tried not to smile because he was supposed to play the ever-weary Master role, constantly telling his Padawans not to bicker. "Not if you want all your limbs attached to all the right places."

Mia was just about to open her mouth to tell him which limbs she'd start with if he ever tried that when the ship jerked. It wasn't the typical turbulence that came with coming out of hyperspace because that felt more or less the same as Obi-wan flooring the breaks in a speeder when he couldn't make a light—Anakin would just run it. No, this felt much more like someone had pushed them all into a blender and turned it on crush.

Anakin let out a Huttese curse she only vaguely recognized, "We jumped out too close to the planet," He told them, pushing buttons and flipping switches, "We're coming in too hot."

The ship seemed to shake worse at just hearing that.

"We might have to make a crash landing," He told them matter-of-factly, maintaining calm despite the situation and the shakiness of the ship.

"Why does it seem like every landing with you is a crash landing?" Mia questioned sarcastically, her fingernails digging into the seat and toes curling in her boots.

"Because the Jedi like to buy cheap parts for their ships so they can buy more fountains for their meditation room," Anakin answered, sounding both annoyed and amused by it.

Mia rolled her eyes, about to open her mouth to shoot something back in their typical banter but then she saw the ground and how it seemed to be coming all too quickly. The ground seemed to level out but Mia held out no hope, something someone told her about it breeding eternal disappointment.

She couldn't decide which was worse, the fear of impact crawling up her throat—along with her breakfast—as they fell, or impact itself. If she asked Anakin, she was pretty sure he was going to tell her it depended on the impact. If she asked Obi-wan, he'd say it depended on our perspective of falling. Mia just thought they both sucked.

They found themselves hanging by their seatbelts, legs dangling down towards the windshield of the ship. Somehow they'd landed nose first and survived. Anakin looked around, first to Mia—which was difficult with the high back of the chair—then to Obi-wan. They both appeared to be alright. With that in mind, his racing heart calmed dramatically.

"Emergency hatch?" He suggested, thinking of the door thirty feet above their heads.

"I'll grab the emergency pack," Mia decided.

Something hit the back of his chair hard, and he was guessing it was a short fifteen year old girl with too many books and not enough pilot experience. Pressing his feet to the edge of the dashboard, Anakin released the safety straps. Standing slowly and a hand gripped on the arm of his chair at all times, he looked up to see that, not only did Mia have both her pack and the emergency pack strapped to her shoulders, she was also halfway up. She looked down at them from where she was, gripping a light cover and a door frame, both feet planted on the fire extinguisher case.

"Come on, it's not that hard," She assured them before continuing up.

He looked to Obi-wan, who seemed to find it no less hard than he did. "It's not hard," He muttered, purposely making his voice a little higher pitched and a bit whiney for good measure.

Something hit him in the head, probably something from the back of the ship that had been dislodged on impact. He looked down at the windshield of the ship, where he found the book he and Mia had been arguing about earlier that morning. He was suddenly really thankful it was paperback.

"I heard that," Mia called down to them, probably already opening the emergency hatch.

"For someone deaf, you do seem to have excellent hearing when it comes to people talking about you," Obi-wan mused, his tone light.

Mia just laughed. Sighing, Anakin started climbing, and he hated every moment of it, and of course Obi-wan went first so now he had the great view of his master's butt. What was worse was that, and he hated that he noticed at all, but Obi-wan's ass jiggled just a little with every step. He was sure Mia wouldn't ever stop laughing if he told her.

"Hey Master, might want to lay off the desserts for a while," Anakin muttered, more to himself than anything.

Obi-wan turned to looked at him, "What was that?" He inquired.

Anakin plastered a smile, "Nothing, just climb faster, I'm getting claustrophobic."

When he finally made it to the hatch, and he was very relieved to, he found Mia standing on the grass next to Obi-wan, looking very bored with waiting. Jumping, he fell through the air, softening his landing with the Force. Anakin looked around, surprised to find he'd landed the ship in a giant clearing surrounded by forest. Then he found the giant skid marks behind the ship from where it had dragged through the ground and the _overly convenient_ giant rock formation that had stopped them from continuing their landing and slowly losing momentum. Instead, stuck and with lots of momentum to go on, they'd flipped and landed on the nose of the ship. But thank the Force that rock formation didn't get injured in all this.

_Yeah, that wasn't sarcastic at all_, Mia muttered through the training bond she and Anakin shared. He turned to her, looking entirely unapologetic about it.

"Okay, so, what now Master?" Mia inquired, looking ready to actually getting on with doing something.

"Anakin, try and see if you can get a distress signal going out to the Temple," Obi-wan started.

Force. "You couldn't have told me that when I was actually in the ship and capable of sending one out?" He demanded, "How the hell am I supposed to get back up?"

"You'll figure something out," Obi-wan answered, turning towards Mia, "Go over the supplies in that pack and take inventory. I'm going to take a look around."

Anakin watched with disbelief as Obi-wan walked away and Mia sat down, opening the pack.

"That's horrifically unfair," Anakin muttered, "You get to take inventory, Obi-wan gets to take a nice walk around, I have to climb forty-fifty feet into a hatch with the great pleasure of having to climb back."

"Don't be the only one who knows how to send out a distress signal, you won't have these problems," Mia fired back, sarcasm laced into her tone. She looked up at him sympathetically, "I could climb up and try and do it," She offered.

He shook his head, "No, I'll be fine," Anakin assured her, "It just doesn't feel like a proper mission if I don't complain about something."

Mia chuckled, shaking her head in agreement.

Reaching out with the Force, Anakin jumped through the air, gripping hold of the hatch before pulling himself up. Looking down, Anakin decided that just jumping down would save him a bit of time. It ended up being a terrible idea that ended up with quite a few well forming bruises he would have the great pleasure of finding later. It also turned up that the entire system was fried, all of it. With a groan, Anakin started dismantling the dashboard, figuring that if he couldn't send a distress signal then he'd just build one. Ripping out anything that looked even remotely useful and wasn't blown to bits, Anakin climbed back up, figuring it was best to work on it all outside the ship instead of climbing in and out every time. Just as he was starting to climb back up he heard a throaty, guttural groan of frustration that he only ever heard come from Mia.

_That bad I take it_, Anakin sent through the training bond.

_It wouldn't be so bad if there was just one person_, Mia decided, sounding strangely calm about it considering the sound he heard a moment ago. _It's that we're three, not one_.

Sighing, Anakin looked up at what would be another unpleasant climb. Reaching for the book Mia had thrown at him—he should really leave it, would serve her right for throwing it at him—he picked it up and started climbing.

He found her setting up a tent fifty feet away from the ship, a very small pile of supplies next to her. Jumping down, he walked up towards her. She turned as she sensed him behind her, her eyes widening with surprise when he handed her the book.

"Thank you," She murmured before turning to their meager supplies, "So, want the bad news or the good news?"

"There's good news?" He questioned skeptically.

Mia sighed, "The bad news is that we have enough food and supplies for one person," She told him, "The good news is that, according to Obi-wan, there's a stream of fresh water nearby and that he thinks there's some edible plants nearby."

Anakin nodded, "Well, do you want my news?" He asked her.

She bite her lip before sighing and nodding.

"Well, the bad news is that the ship's too fried to send out a distress signal," Anakin explained before moving onto the good news, saying it in a fake cheery voice that was so sweet it sounded sarcastic, "The good news is that I have plenty of scraps to build my own, it'll just take me a few days."

Mia nodded, "Let's just hope the food lasts us that long," She muttered.

Anakin sighed before remembering something, a mischievous grin breaking out onto his face.

"What?" She asked, a smile slipping onto her face as well.

"You're going to get a crack up at this," Anakin told her, "I had to climb up after Obi-wan and the entire time I was in there I was basically forced to look at his ass."

Mia started chuckling at that.

"And, I hate that I noticed but I kind of couldn't help it," He told her, trying really hard not to laugh, "But Obi-wan's butt kind of jiggled with every step, and I kind of muttered that he should lay off the desserts."

Mia burst out laughing, her laughter so infectious Anakin joined in with her.

Obi-wan walked towards the clearing, his eyebrows furrowing as he heard both his Padawans laughing hysterically. As they came in view he noticed Mia hunched over, laughing as she tried to control herself. Anakin had his head tilted back, his laugh rumbling through the clearing.

"What's so funny?" He questioned.

They suddenly stopped, their laughter silenced, and looked at him for a long moment before Mia snorted in the most undignified of manners and dissolved into laughter again, Anakin quickly joining her. He walked towards them, his curiosity rising higher and higher as they seemed incapable of stopping.

"No, seriously, we've crash-landed and all you can think to do is joke around," Obi-wan scolded them, "So what's this joke you two find so funny."

Mia sobered up enough to tell him, "You really wouldn't like it Master, just one of Anakin's dirty jokes," She explained, "It's so bad it would make you blush."

Anakin tried to stop laughing, gripping his chest as he tried to breathe again, "It's pretty bad," He insisted.

Obi-wan nodding, figuring that if even Anakin thought it was bad then it was really best to not hear it. "Very well, Anakin, I assume you've sent out a distress signal."

Anakin sighed, shaking his head, "System's too fried, I've got to make one myself," He answered, "If I'm lucky I'll have it done by tomorrow but I really doubt it."

He sighed, "Okay, get on that," He told the boy before turning to Mia, "You've got a better working knowledge of foraging than I do so see what you can find. I'll gather the necessary things for a camp fire."

Anakin looked up with a raise eyebrow, "Did the emergency pack even come with matches?" He questioned dubiously.

"It did," Mia answered, looking relieved at that, "No kindle but dried leaves will do."

For dinner they chewed on tough, bland ration bars and berries, sitting around the campfire as they told stories. Obi-wan's stories were mostly about experiences he had, mostly missions Mia and Anakin had never been on. Mia's stories were usually based off books she'd read before but the way she told them was captivating. Anakin told scary stories, which sometimes had Mia and Obi-wan on edge and sometimes made them laugh because it came across as corny. After they ate Mia gave the boys the tent and took their only sleeping bag. From where she sat, unrolling it out, she could Obi-wan and Anakin complaining about how cramped the tent was.

"It was made for one person," She reminded them before adding with a smirk, "Who knows, maybe you can cuddle."

Anakin groaned, "Very funny Mia," He muttered.

"I don't know, wouldn't be so bad," Obi-wan replied, sounding almost serious for a moment, trying to get a rise out of his young Padawan for a moment.

"Uh, no, I think I'll pass," Anakin grumbled.

Mia shook her head in amusement before turning and putting the fire out the way Obi-wan told her to, by smothering it out with dirt instead of water. He wanted them to preserve water despite the fact they had a nearby stream. With the fire out, she crawled into the sleeping bag, hoping it wouldn't be too cold that night.

September 10th, Six years before Galactic Empire

Anakin woke up to a burning sensation on his back and the smell of smoke. Opening his eyes, he realized the tent had caught fire. Kicking Obi-wan awake, he shouted for him to get out of the tent. They scrambled to get out and, as soon as Anakin was out of the tent, he dropped and rolled to put out the flames. The more he rolled though, the more his back seemed to burn. Stopping, he just laid on his stomach, knowing the flames were put out and that that wasn't why his back burned so much. Mia was at his side in an instant. He felt her cut off the back of his tunic to examine him, just seeing the way the fabric was burnt gave him an idea of what the damage was.

"How bad is it?" Anakin asked anyway.

"It's," Mia trailed off, "Pretty bad."

"I'm going to have to clean it," Mia warned him, "And that's going to hurt, a lot."

Anakin groaned, "Do what you have to do," He told her, gritting his teeth as he waited.

He'd never experienced a pain like this. When he was a slave he was used to being whipped, usually on his back, but those were paper cuts compared to this. For a few minutes he just watched Obi-wan put out the tent but, after that he closed his eyes and waited it out, trying not to make too much noise as pain radiated through his body. Finally it stopped.

"Okay, this part will be much easier," Mia assured him, "I've got burn cream."

He turned and saw two things in her hands, one small and closely resembling a tube of toothpaste and the other a jar. Taking the tube, Mia squeezed as much into it as she could before spreading it on his back. It was soothing, to say the least. It still hurt like hell but it didn't feel nearly as bad as before.

"I'm never complaining about you bringing a second first aid kit again," Anakin mumbled.

Mia would have laughed if the situation weren't so bad. Instead she bandaged up the burn and gave Anakin one of his other tunics to change into, the old one completely destroyed. She gave him some basic painkillers that wouldn't knock the pain out if he took the whole bottle. But it was the best they could do at the moment.

"It's almost morning," Mia told him, "When I was foraging I found some herbs good for helping with pain, when it's light again I'll go and find them."

Anakin nodded and moved to lay on his stomach again, trying not to wince to badly as his back burned with the slightest movement.

Obi-wan sat with Anakin as Mia went looking for herbs, not knowing what to do. Logically they should wait for help but Anakin was in no shape to build a distress signal, let alone wait for one. Even with both the first aid kits they wouldn't last long. Mia had used up almost all of the burn cream from the emergency pack when she working on Anakin and, according to her, it was supposed to be applied regularly. Their second option wasn't much better, they could go and find the settlement. If Obi-wan's memory of the map of the planet and the area around it was correct then the nearby stream lead to a river and if they found the river all they had to do was go north.

But was Anakin in any shape to walk.

Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he watched as Mia walked towards them with an armful of picked plants, looking pleased with what she'd found.

"Okay, I found two for pain," She told them as she sat down, spreading the herbs apart and organizing them, "This one you grind up and mix with water to make a more-or-less cream and that one you have to chew. I also found one for infection."

Taking a small handful of leaves from one, she handed it to Anakin, "Chew this."

Anakin looked at her thoughtfully as he took it, "How do you know all this?" He asked before putting the leaves in his mouth and chewing.

"When Master Greyback gave me the basic medical training he also taught me about different herbs for healing and what they looked like and what kind of climates they grew on," Mia explained, "Even gave me a reference book."

Anakin thought she was a little too enthusiastic about learning about plants but he really couldn't bring himself to tease her about it like he normally would because the pain was fading more and more as he continued chewing.

"How are you feeling?" Mia inquired hopefully.

"Better, hurts like a bitch but it's manageable," He answered.

Obi-wan shook his head at Anakin's swearing but didn't comment considering the situation.

"We should get moving, we need to reach the village," Obi-wan spoke up.

Mia's eyebrows furrowed and she looked at him like he'd lost it, "Why?" She questioned.

"Anakin's hurt and we need to get him to a healer," Obi-wan explained, "If we follow the stream to the river, we can go north from there and reach the village in two days."

"That's a terrible idea," Mia told him bluntly, "We should stay here, build a distress signal and wait for help."

"Mia, it will take at least another day for the distress signal to be built and even then, who knows how long we'll have to wait before help comes," Obi-wan argued, "Our supplies are too limited to wait that long for help."

Mia crossed her arms stubbornly, "So you want to make Anakin walk for two days, he's hurt Obi-wan," She reminded him.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Anakin spoke up.

They turned to him as if they had just remembered he was there, "Of course," Mia told him softly.

"I think Obi-wan's right," Anakin told them, "It'll take just as much time to build the distress signal as it will to walk to the village."

Sighing, Mia nodded, "Alright," She murmured, "I'll pack up the herbs. Obi-wan, you take care of the food."

After packing up they started walking in the direction of the stream, going up-stream to reach the river. The longer Anakin walked the more pain he felt. Finally Mia took notice and stopped them long enough to make him chew more of the pain relieving herb, telling them she'd change his bandages when it was nighttime. As the sun neared the horizon they looked for shelter.

They found a nice cave. And by nice cave Anakin meant that it dripped, it was cold and it smelled like death but it was a nice cave.

"You seem to get more sarcastic the longer we're here," Mia muttered as she walked in, carrying both her pack and Anakin's.

"It's the best we can do," He reminded himself, "Considering our tent is still in the clearing, in ashes." The last two words dripped with annoyance and sarcasm.

Mia smiled as she dropped the pack, "Okay, I'm going to change your bandages and now we can apply the topical herb as well."

Nodding, Anakin took off his tunic got down on his stomach, the position becoming more and more familiar. He found that the floor of the cave was unforgivably cold and uncomfortable. Watching as Mia took the emergency pack, pulling out the first aid kits and the herbs, he closed his eyes. She made him chew more of the painkilling herb before removing the bandages, which hurt. The pain of the burn was soothed as she gently rubbed the burn cream and ground up herb salve on his back before applying fresh bandages. Sitting up again, Anakin turned and watched Obi-wan as he made a fire.

Dinner consisted of the last of their ration bars, more berries and, for Anakin, broth made of the herb that fought infection. After all that Anakin found he was still very hungry but he didn't voice that, knowing they didn't have much in the way of food.

Mia let Obi-wan keep his cloak and Anakin's to keep warm as he slept and gave Anakin the sleeping bag, assuring them that her cloak would be enough to keep her warm. Obi-wan was out like a light but Anakin and Mia were up for some time more, both unable to sleep. The cave was dark but Anakin could see Mia was shivering from the cold.

"Mia," He sighed, "There's enough room in this sleeping bag for two."

"I'm okay," She replied, almost automatically.

He shook his head, "I don't mind," He assured her, "The extra body heat would be nice too."

Getting up, Mia walked towards him and unzipped the sleeping bag enough to worm herself in before zipping it up again. Shifting slowly, she faced Anakin, just barely able to make out his features in the dark. He wound his arms around her, pulling her closer.

Anakin just held her for a while, enjoying every moment of it. She was warm and her head fit perfectly under his chin. Not sure what made him do it, Anakin titled his head down and pressed a kiss to Mia's lips. At first she froze in shock but to his great surprise she returned it after a moment. It was innocent and soft and it was enough to lull them into sleep peacefully.

September 11th, Six years before Galactic Empire

Obi-wan groaned as he woke up on the rather cold and hard cave floor, his back protesting rather loudly. Untangling himself from the two cloaks that hadn't really been all that warm he looked around, noticing the pitter-patter of rain and the way puddles formed on the crevices of the cave. Then he spotted his Padawans, curled up in a sleeping bag to keep warm. He wasn't sure what to make of that. Logically it could just be so they could stay warm through the night but he couldn't ignore the way Anakin had his face buried in Mia's hair and the way they were both smiling contently in sleep. Pushing those thoughts aside, he focused more on the rain and what they were going to do. It wouldn't do any good for Anakin to walk for miles in the rain, wouldn't be good for any of them. They could just wait it out but who knew how long it would last.

Or how long their food and bandages for Anakin would last for that matter.

There was a soft groan, making Obi-wan turn his attention back to Anakin who was starting to shift in the sleeping back, making Mia stir as well. He watched as Anakin and Mia opened their eyes slowly, looking at each other before blushing.

"Your back hurts again, doesn't it," Mia murmured, completely unaware Obi-wan was watching.

Nodding, Anakin watched her unzip the sleeping bag and get out. Then he noticed Obi-wan watching them and gave him a pointed look not to bring it up. In response he held his hands up in defeat, it wasn't an argument he was about to get into considering the current state of his Padawan. Mia returned moments later with the first aid kits, bandages and the herbs.

"I'll need to go find more," Mia murmured as she helped Anakin take his tunic off, a situation that would have them both blushing if the situation wasn't so serious. She tossed an annoyed look at the rain, finding it entirely unnecessary and completely inconvenient. "I don't relish the idea of going out in that," She muttered before turning her attention back to Anakin.

Removing the bandages, she cleaned away the withered herb-paste she'd put on the night before to see the state of the burn. It spanned from his shoulder blades to reach the small of his back. It was red and angry and there were blisters forming. Obi-wan frowned when he saw it, his anxiety increasing.

They didn't notice Anakin close his eyes at their silence, knowing it must be bad.

Applying what little of the burn cream they had left, Mia ground down the pain killing herb and placed that on top, being careful to be gentle. She casted a sad glance at the last of the bandages, knowing they wouldn't have any left after this. Placing them on with care she sat back and told Anakin he could sit up again.

She helped him get his shirt on, knowing it would be a few more minutes before the herb took its complete effect.

Anakin turned to Obi-wan, "So what are we going to do about the rain?" He questioned.

"You can't go out in that, an infection on top of this won't help," Obi-wan stated, "We'll have to wait it out."

"You could go out alone," Mia suggested, "Get help."

Obi-wan thought on it for a moment, "That would mean leaving you two alone," He reminded them, "Even then, when I found the village we couldn't come to you until after the rain."

Mia sighed, shaking her head at the situation. Standing, she reached for her cloak and pulled it on, "I'm going foraging," She muttered as she passed Obi-wan before climbing up the slippery slope out of the cave and until the torrential rain.

Anakin and Obi-wan sat in silence for several hours, some of which Anakin spent on his side with his eyes closed as his thoughts drifted away from him. Obi-wan's thoughts circled aimlessly over their chances of survival on this Force-forsaken planet. After a while they both began to wonder what the hell was taking Mia so long to get back.

Suddenly Mia slid down the slope of the cave like she was gliding before coming to a stop and pulling a stuffed canvas bag out from under her cloak. Obi-wan and Anakin sat up in surprise at her sudden appearance. Pulling off her soaked cloak, Mia walked straight towards her pack, lying next to the sleeping bag.

"I am so ready to get out of these wet clothes," Mia muttered as she pulled out a set of clean, dry clothes out.

Turning away, both Obi-wan and Anakin covered their eyes, giving her the privacy to change until she gave them the all clear. Opening their eyes again, they watched as Mia sat down in front of the bag of Force-knew what.

"I got more of those three herbs, found some berries," She turned to look at them, "How do you feel about tree bark for dinner?"

She found their faces were priceless, especially when Anakin stuck his tongue out in disgust, "Relax, I wasn't being serious," Mia reassured them, laughing, "Though I did find some tasty looking bugs."

Anakin threw a shoe in her general direction, it hit her shoulder before tail-spinning away. Rolling her eyes, Mia huffed in annoyance. She didn't give him the satisfaction of knowing it actually hurt a little, though.

The rest of the day passed at an agonizing pace. The rain seemed to show no sign of ever stopping and they were running out of things to keep themselves entertained. They tried telling stories but most of the good ones had been told more than once before—Mia and Anakin could recite one of Obi-wan's stories by heart.

"What about the time I was on Von-Ish?" Obi-wan suggested.

Mia groaned and Anakin rolled over.

"Master Qui-gon and I were assigned a diplomatic assignment," Anakin started as he stared at the cave wall, mimicking Obi-wan's accent with near perfection, "I was about your age then and at the time nothing sounded worse than another diplomatic assignment and,"

"Alright, I get your point," Obi-wan huffed, put out, "I just thought it was a good story."

Mia looked up at him and, noticing his crestfallen look, she spoke up, "Oh it was Master, it was very interested," She assured him before adding, "The first time I heard it, and then the second or third was nice, and the next few times it was alright," She trailed off, feeling she'd made her point.

They lapsed into a silence that mostly consisted of Obi-wan just thinking, Mia laying on her back and craning her neck to watch the rain and Anakin staring at the _oh-so-interesting cave wall_.

"Okay, I think you've made your point," Mia spoke up after the seventh or so sarcastic mental comment on the crappy planet, sitting up, "This place sucks and we all really want to go home."

Anakin smirked, "And I was just about to go into how lovely this rain was," He teased her.

Sighing, Mia fell back on her back, staring at the ceiling of the cave, "Honestly, screw the mission, I just want to go home," Mia mumbled, "We're in such sorry shape it's not as though we'd do any good here."

"A-men," Anakin sighed, exasperated with the entire mission.

With a sudden idea, Mia sat up and walked towards her pack, just now remembering the book she'd brought with them. Then her face fell when she realized the pack was wet—likely from to multiple leaks in the cave—and picked it up immediately. Digging through it, she pulled out the book.

"Oh come on!" She complained, "That's just not fair!"

Anakin and Obi-wan looked up at her, confused. Turning around, she presented her soaked book and its blurred pages. Dropping it next to her pack on one of the few dry spots of the cave, Mia sat back down.

"I hate this crappy planet," Mia mumbled, crossing her arms as she walked back to her spot, wishing the rain would just stop.

A while later the sky started to darken until the cave was almost pitch-black. Obi-wan got a fire going to try and keep them warm. They huddled together, plotting all the things they would do when they got home, just to keep their mind off the miserableness of the situation. Though, no matter how close Anakin was to the fire he just felt cold. It wasn't until Mia actually looked at him for a moment that she even noticed it. She pressed the back of her hand to Anakin's cheek, cold dread filling her when it felt warm, far too warm.

"Anakin, I need to check your bandages," She told him before standing suddenly and walking towards where she'd placed the first aid kits and their supply of herbs.

Complying, Anakin went through the terrible motions of removing his shirt even though he felt like he was freezing to death. Mia came back in an instant and carefully removed the bandages, biting back a gasp at the red tinge that colored the healthy skin bordering the burn. The burn looked angrier than before. She wanted to cry. It was infected and not for a lack of trying to keep it clean. The rain and the cold and laying on the dirty cave all day had helped kick start an infection they'd been trying to prevent.

"We don't have any more of that burn cream," Anakin murmured, "And we're out of bandages."

Mia couldn't bring herself to respond, Obi-wan looked like he couldn't breathe. Sniffling, Mia reached for the small jar that she'd kept her burn cream in, it now housed as much of that topical painkiller she could make at a time. As Mia carefully applied it she decided another trip out was in order, but farther and more thorough, she could find something that would help. Obi-wan tore up an under-tunic to substitute for bandages and gave the strips to Mia, silently giving her a look that said to do whatever she had to do to keep him alive.

After bandaging him up, Mia had Obi-wan make some more broth from last night, hoping that would help with the infection. She'd get as much of that as she could into him, it could at least help. After putting his shirt back on, Anakin moved to get into the sleeping bag but Mia stopped him.

"I know you're freezing but the best thing for the fever is to cool down," She told him, "Just relax, alright?"

Stilling, Anakin sighed temperamentally and laid down on top of the sleeping bag, shifting onto his stomach to avoid making his back hurt. The weight of the situation was making itself known and Anakin's chest felt heavy and he felt like just telling Mia to leave him alone for a while. He'd felt like that for the last hour or so. It wasn't until Mia pressed her hand to his forehead that he understood what that feeling was. Depression.

Mia and Obi-wan were sitting next to the fire and, while he couldn't see it, he was pretty sure they were looking at him. He shivered, wishing Mia would just let him get warm.

"Okay, broth's done," Mia spoke up, pouring it into one of the ration containers that had acted as bowls for them since the first night.

Sitting up slowly, he took it from her hands and looked down at the green tinted liquid in the ration container. The bitter broth made him long for those cool nights on Tatooine when his mom made soup with some of their leftover meat. The soup was warm though, making heat spread through his chest. Closing his eyes, he took another sip, wondering how much this would really help. Finished with the last of the broth, he handed Mia the ration container and moved to lay on his stomach again. Closing his eyes, he wished for some decent sleep and longed for his warm bed at the Jedi Temple, with five or six different blankets. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this miserable, it had to be back during the years on Tatooine.

"Anakin, hey Anakin, wake up," He heard Mia's voice.

Opening his eyes, Anakin looked up at her, beyond exhausted. It took a moment to realize he'd been asleep, "How long have I been out?" He questioned.

"About an hour," She told him, smiling apologetically, "I just wanted to get you to drink more of that broth."

Nodding slowly, he sat up and took the ration container from her hands, hot broth sloshing inside. She sat down next to him, crossing her legs as she pulled her long braid over her shoulder.

"How're you feeling?" Mia asked him as he was taking his first sip.

"Cold," He mumbled before taking another.

Reaching out, Mia pressed the back of her hand to his face, keeping her face neutral as she assessed the seriousness of his fever. She clearly didn't realize that by keeping a neutral face she was telling Anakin just how bad it was. Sighing, Anakin took another sip, figuring he'd ask for a second bowl of this bitter crap straight away instead of waiting for Mia to decide he needed another. He was also thoroughly enjoying the fact that it made him feel a lot less cold.

"Can I have another bowl?" He requested after he'd finished.

Mia's eyes widened with surprise. She was used to Anakin being difficult to deal with—at best—when he was sick. If he was being cooperative that must be bad. Looking away from Anakin, Obi-wan took the rest of their water supply, poured it into the saucepan and held it over the fire—at least their sparse, at best, emergency pack came with something to cook food in.

After the broth was made Anakin drank it in silence, noticing that Obi-wan had to leave to refill their current supply of water. After drinking it all he laid back down again on his side facing Mia. He took a moment to observe her as she looked out the opening of the cave, probably searching for any sign of Obi-wan. The slowly dying fire illuminated her face just enough that he could tell just how worried she was. Maybe she wasn't looking for any sign of Obi-wan, maybe she was just looking for any sign that the rain might be clearing up. Anakin also noticed the way she was shivering slightly.

"Come here," He spoke up, opening his arms up invitingly.

She looked at him for a moment like he'd lost it but then smiled softly and laid down on her side, facing him, her head propped up by her hand.

He opened his mouth to say something, not entirely sure what he'd say, but was interrupted as Obi-wan walked into the cave. He slipped and fell backwards, landing on his butt and Anakin found himself wishing he had a camera to save that moment, the look of surprise on his master's face. He and Mia would just have to remember that face.

"I got the water and while I was out I noticed a snare left by a hunter, we're likely not too far from some form of civilization," He told them, smiling.

Mia snorted indignantly at that and looked away. She didn't call villages where men beat and killed their wife and got away with it civilized. Anakin couldn't help but smirk at her.

"Personally, I'm exhausted," Obi-wan mentioned as he walked towards the sleeping bag and picked up the two cloaks he'd been using the night before, trying to suppress a cringe as he found a few damp spots.

"You're exhausted after a day of sitting in a cave doing nothing?" Anakin complained before shaking his head, "Master, you are getting out of shape."

Mia choked on laughter at that.

Obi-wan looked irked at that, "I am not getting out of shape," He insisted indignantly.

Anakin opened his mouth to retort with the jiggling-ass thing he'd noticed two days ago but a warning look from Mia told him it was best not to.

"No, you're just putting on your winter weight to keep warm," Anakin responded, layers of sarcasm hidden under a tone of condescension.

"Oh, and Mia hasn't kicked you ass in your last three sparring sessions," Obi-wan pointed out, looking more than irritated.

Anakin shrugged, "Too be fair, I've beaten you the last two times we've sparred," He replied, unoffended.

"Girls, girls, you're both pretty," Mia piped up, giving them both a look to knock it off.

Huffing, Obi-wan situated himself in the cloaks, putting the first on backwards before putting the second on the right way so it covered both sides of him. Settling down on the damp floor of the cave, he closed his eyes, thinking sleep would come easy.

Anakin looked over at Mia for a moment, highly aware of the fact that she was so close he could feel her breath tickling his neck and that if he let out a big enough breath he could move a strand of hair. Her eyes snapped up to him like she was distinctly aware of this as well. For a moment they just sat there, blue meeting grey as they thought of all the things they wanted to say but couldn't. Finally Mia looked down, unable to keep his gaze. Sighing softly, Anakin closed his eyes and relaxed, praying that sleep came easily.

Mia couldn't sleep, so she settled for watching Anakin as he slept for a while before sitting up and approaching the fire. They didn't have much firewood left so she'd make as much of that broth now as she could. Pouring more water into the saucepan, she held it over the water, needing the constant concentration of holding it still to occupy her mind from the darker thoughts that seemed to be circling around her like vultures. When the water started boiling she put the herbs in, letting it sit for a while longer until she was satisfied the broth was strong enough. Pouring it into the ration container, she slowly walked to where Anakin was laying down, on top of the sleeping bag.

"Anakin, wake up," She requested as she gently shook his shoulder.

"Huh, wha?" He slurred as he opened his eyes slowly, looking very confused.

Mia bit her lip to keep from crying because the fever was only getting worse, he radiated heat against her hand and confusion was another symptom of a high fever.

"I made you more broth," She whispered, knowing it was a fool's hope to think it would really help.

Sitting up slowly, Anakin took it from her hands and held it for a long moment, blowing on it to bring it to drinking temperature. Mia watched as he drank it slowly, praying to whatever deities may listen, deities she didn't believe in, that he'd pull through. She watched as he set it down, half gone, unable to drink anymore and fell back onto the sleeping bag tiredly, seeming to not even notice that he was laying on his back. Maybe it didn't hurt and maybe he didn't care anymore but it scared her to death. Crawling closer, she set down with her legs in front of her and gently placed his head on her lap, carding her fingers through his hair. Anakin closed his eyes, relaxing to her touch.

Anakin focused on the soft sensations of Mia's fingers combing through his hair and the way the end of her braid gently touched his right shoulder. His back hurt like hell but he didn't let himself focus on that.

Over the course of the day he'd weighed the possible scenarios and his realistic chances of survival. It didn't end well for him, he knew that. Somehow he'd come to terms with that. He was going to die. The day before, as they were walking through the forest, he hadn't even thought of it as a possibility. After Mia left to find more herbs he'd felt like shouting and cursing at the world. He kept holding out hope Mia would come back with some miracle plant that would make him better, or at least improve his chances. Hope didn't hold out long.

Somehow Anakin had come to terms with the situation, he was going to die and he was strangely okay with that but there were a few things he wanted to do before he left this world.

"Obi-wan," He croaked to wake his master, "Obi-wan, wake up, I have something I need to say."

Turning his head to the side, he watched as Obi-wan stirred and woke up, lifting himself up to look at Anakin.

"Let's face it," He whispered, his voice breaking, "I'm not going to make it."

"Don't say that!" Mia cried, refusing to accept it.

"It's going to happen and there's nothing we can do about that," He insisted softly, "It's okay, it'll be alright."

She shook her head stubbornly, "No it won't, you can't die."

He swallowed thickly, "It's alright, I've lived a good life. I trained to become a Jedi, I've had loving people in my life who would do anything for me, without being ask. I have loved and I knew happiness and I had a family."

Anakin sighed, "So I only have a few requests," He murmured, looking up at Mia, meeting her eyes, "You don't know this but, one time, a few months ago, I came home early after sparring with Obi-wan. I was in the living room, just sitting on the couch and resting. Then I heard you, singing and I'd never heard it before." Anakin closed his eyes, "You have such an amazing voice."

Covering her face with her hands, Mia tried to stop crying but she couldn't.

"Will you please sing for me, I want to hear it one last time," Anakin requested.

Nodding slowly, she searched her memory for any song she could remember. Closing her eyes, she focused on the Force, trying to pay attention to her voice, and remember the way the song sounded.

"And the blood will dry, underneath my nails, and the wind will rise up, to fill my sails," She sniffled, "So you can doubt and you can hate but I know, no matter what it takes, I'm coming home, I'm coming home, tell the world I'm coming home," She gasped, chest tight.

"Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday. I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes. I'm coming home, I'm coming home, tell the world I'm coming…" She trailed off. After a long moment Mia brought back the strength to continue singing when all she felt like doing was crying. "Still far away, from where I belong. But it's always darkest before the dawn…"

She just gasped and started crying, unable to continue, "I'm sorry," She choked out.

"It's okay," Anakin murmured, reaching up to wipe away her tears, "Don't cry."

A long silence passed through them, weighing heavily on their souls. Finally Anakin broke the silence, "I wrote you letters," He mentioned, "I was on this mission with Obi-wan, you couldn't come with, and there was this man. He'd been injured and he was going to die so he asked me to tell his wife, one last time, that he loved her. I just kept thinking of all the things I might leave unsaid, the things the people closest to me deserve to know. So I wrote you letters that, in case I died, you'd at least get some form of closure."

Obi-wan sucked in a deep breath, feeling light headed and his chest tight. He wanted to scream and tell Anakin that he'd live but his Padawan knew he wasn't going to make it. Even Obi-wan himself wouldn't believe his words.

"I hid them, in the apartment," Anakin added, taking a deep breath, he looked up at Mia, "Yours is hidden in one of your books, the one you really love. I'm surprised you haven't found it yet, it's been there for almost six months. When you get back I want you to read it."

"Why can't you just tell me now?" She asked him, gasping for breath.

"Because those are words meant only for you," Anakin whispered before looking at Obi-wan, "Yours is hidden under your mattress."

Nodding, Anakin felt like he'd said all he needed to say.

Mia watched, panicking as he closed his eyes. Her heart raced as she checked that he was still breathing, checking his slow pulse. His face looked so peaceful.

Looking up, she met Obi-wan's gaze, finding fear and grief in those light blue irises.

"You have to get help, I don't care if you have to run in the rain, you need to get someone," She told him firmly, willing herself not to cry.

Nodding, Obi-wan got up at once and readjusted the cloaks so he was only wearing one. Pulling the hood over his head, Obi-wan muttered that he'd be back with help as quickly as possible before leaving the cave. Mia watched the entrance of the cave for a few minutes like she was waiting for him to be back right away. Taking in a sharp breath, she felt an idea stirring.

"Anakin, wake up," She spoke, gently prodding his shoulder.

He groaned at being woken up, " 'mm tired Mia," He protested.

"We need to break your fever," She insisted, running her fingers through his hair again.

"Fine," He grumbled, rolling onto his side before slowly standing up.

Taking his hand, Mia lead him towards the cave opening. Realizing where she was taking him, Anakin stopped.

"I'm not going out there," He protested.

Mia sighed, "The rain will help break your fever," She explained.

"Last I checked you didn't want me out in the rain," Anakin reminded her before looking around, "Where's Obi-wan?"

"He ran to try and get help from the village," Mia explained, "So we're buying time and breaking your fever."

Casting an irritated glance at the rain outside and the cold it brought with it, Anakin sighed and nodded. Taking off his tunic, he walked into the rain. It was cold and the way the water seeped into his bandages was both soothing and irritating. Scowling, he watched as Mia stood just inside the cave entrance, still dry.

"So let me get this straight. You have no problem sending me out into the rain, letting me get soaked but you want to stay dry," He stated, glaring at her.

"I'm not the one with a fever," Mia pointed out.

Anakin grinned mischievously, making Mia wary, "Oh no, if I have to get soaked, so do you," He declared before surging forward, latching onto her arm and dragging her out, the heels of her boots making skid-marks in the mud.

Out in the rain and quickly getting drenched, Mia glared. It wasn't as heated as she'd like it to be when she realized Anakin was starting to act like himself. Stepping forward, she pressed her hand to his forehead. He was already cooler. She found herself smiling, a small, hesitant smile. She gave it another minute or two before getting him inside the cave. They slid inside in a hurry, Anakin slipping and having to stumble forward to keep from falling completely. Mia chuckled, the first time she'd really laughed since the first day on this terrible planet. Anakin quickly put his tunic back on, letting the fabric absorb some of the water. He turned and found Mia squeezing her braid to try and get some of the water out before she started undoing it.

"My hair's wet because of you," She reminded him with a more heated glare, "It wasn't even dry from this morning yet."

Anakin sighed and shook his head in dismay, he knew she'd complain about that. "How long do you think it'll take Obi-wan to get help?" Anakin asked, looking out into the rain.

"If he runs, he should be there in a few hours," Mia answered, "We might have help by morning."

Anakin turned to her, "And if he walks?" He asked.

Mia looked at him as though the answer should be obvious, "He's gonna run," She stated simply "Obviously."

"No, not obvious," Anakin disagreed, ignoring the way his body felt cold all over and his back burned.

"Anakin, you're really badly hurt and we don't know what's going to happen when morning comes, he's not going to waste a second. He loves you too much to lose you," Mia insisted.

He nodded despite the fact his head was starting to hurt and he felt light headed, he'd felt light headed all day. Mia's eyes widened when she noticed how pale he looked.

"Maybe you should sit down, you don't look so good," Mia suggested, taking his hands as she eased him down on top of the sleeping bag.

Anakin dropped down onto the sleeping bag heavily, feeling sick. Before he knew it Mia had his hand in hers and was pinching the skin on top of it.

"Hey," He complained, "What was that for?"

"Shit," Mia murmured as she watched the pinched skin slowly sink down and return to its original form, running a hand through her messy wet hair, "Why didn't I think about that?"

Anakin looked at her curiously, "Think of what?" He asked, holding his head in his hands.

"You're dehydrated!" Mia exclaimed, sounding more angry at herself than him. Her shoulders slumped, "Major burns cause dehydration, they rob your blood of fluid."

He looked up at her, blue meeting grey. In the dim light of the cave, illuminated only by a small gas lamp in the corner, her eyes were a dark, almost coal-like color. It was haunting in a way.

"Then I just have to drink some more," He stated.

Nodding slowly, Mia stood up and walked towards their water container and picked it up. Approaching the opening of the cave, Mia wished, for a moment, that she had something dry to change into when she returned. Murmuring that she'd be back in a few minutes, she burst out of the cave and dashed through the trees and shrubbery of the forest, running towards the stream. Standing on the bank of it, Mia crouched down and dipped the large water jug into the stream, pointing the spout upstream. It filled quickly and Mia screwed the cap back on before running back towards the cave. Anakin watched, impressed, as she slid down the small slope at the opening of their little cave with graceful ease. Picking up the ration container sitting next to their snuffed out campfire, Mia poured some water into it and handed it to Anakin before picking up the pot they'd use to make the broth and setting it down just outside the cave opening to collect water. Anakin drank the water quickly and poured himself a second. Mia sat across from him on the floor, legs crossed as she shivered. The next two hours passed with Anakin drinking the entire jug of water, slowly but surely.

"That's good enough for now," Mia murmured as she pinched the skin on Anakin's hand again, noticing with some delight that it sunk down much quicker, "Get some sleep, I'll wake you in a little bit to drink some more."

"You're not going to sleep?" Anakin questioned as Mia moved to pick up the jug.

Looking over her shoulder, Mia shook her head, "Get some sleep, alright?" She requested, her voice a whisper, "You'll need it."

Sighing, Anakin nodded tiredly and laid down on top of the sleeping bag, laying on his side as he tried to ignore the constant pain of his back. Sleep came surprisingly easy to him. He was out before Mia got back with more water.

September 12th, Six years before Galactic Empire

Miles away, Obi-wan broke past the trees. Alongside the river he'd been following upstream he found the settlement. It was based on a hill and at the top was the fortress of the king who ruled it. They'd been sent on a peace treaty to help end the war between this small kingdom and their rival many miles away. The houses on the hill were, save for a few lights, dark. Exhausted from the long run to reach this far, Obi-wan went up the hill, ready to collapse. As he neared the fortress he noticed the guards situated at the entrance. They looked at him, finding his appearance strange. They were humanoid, their race ranging from seven to eight feet tall, their forms human but their skin light blue and their hair dark. They were called the Svelk.

"I am Obi-wan Kenobi, the Jedi sent to aid the king in his peace treaty," He told them breathlessly, "I need to see him immediately."

They looked between each other with thoughtful looks.

"Und nala shei vara," One of them spoke.

Obi-wan sighed heavily, forgetting that they spoke in a different language, a language he knew very little of. "Vest Jedi, Obi-wan Kenobi, arm nesta—." One of them held up their hand, cutting him off.

"I speak basic English," He spoke, "Come, take shelter."

They opened the gate and the one that spoke English led him inside. The first room was clearly the throne room. The guard ordered, in their native language, a young woman. Nodding, she ran out the room, hopefully to retrieve the king. Soon after a Svelk dressed in formal clothing walked in, a large medallion hanging from his neck, the sign of the King.

"Master Jedi, we have been waiting," Sar-veina spoke once he'd sat down at the throne, his voice surprisingly deep.

Clapping his right arm with his left hand, the customary gesture of respect, Obi-wan spoke, "I came here with two other Jedi, my apprentices. We crash landed and one of them was hurt. His name is Anakin and he is in dire need of medical attention."

"Where is he?" Sar-viena inquired.

"They are camped out in a cave in the forest, he was in no condition to travel with me, not in this rain," Obi-wan explained, "They're very far from here, it would take several hours to travel there on foot."

Turning to the guard, the King ordered, "Prepare transportation, we leave immediately."

"Thank you," Obi-wan spoke, clapping his hand to his arm again.

September 12th, Six years before Galactic Empire

A few hours after Anakin had fallen asleep their gas lamp had run out of fuel and the light died away. Not long after that, just a few hours before sunrise, Mia had fallen asleep slumped against the cave wall, shivering in her still wet tunic. It was all she had left at this point. Anakin slept blissfully unaware, positioned on his stomach on the sleeping bag. The morning light shone through the trees and into the cave. Suddenly the sound of heavy footsteps, the footsteps of several animals standing on two feet and coated in feathers, known as Sauvren, were heard. Immediately Mia was awake, startled and alert, reaching for her lightsaber as she stood up. Anakin slowly woke up, confused for a moment before he noticed the footsteps.

"Anakin, Mia," Obi-wan called as he slid, almost gracefully, into the cave.

"Obi-wan!" Mia exclaimed, happy to see him.

Seconds later several strangers, Svelk, entered. Anakin and Mia immediately recognized the King. He turned to Anakin, a blank expression on his face—Svelk rarely showed emotion—and walked towards him.

"You must be Anakin," He spoke before turning to those that accompanied him into the cave, speaking in their strange language.

"He's brought medics," Obi-wan explained as two more walked in with a portable cot, similar to a gurney, in their hands.

The medics quickly removed his tunic, to Anakin's protest, and administered some sort of shot before he could stop them. The pain faded away as they carefully removed the bandages, paining Anakin for a moment. He looked over his shoulder as his mind became fuzzy, watching as they applied something similar to leaves to his back, adding bandages to hold them in placed. Mia startled as Anakin began to slump to the side, falling unconscious as the doctors caught him. Obi-wan turned to her, just now noticing how pale she looked, with dark circles under her eyes. Placing his hand on her forehead, he was stunned by how warm she felt.

"She has a fever," He spoke to the one medic who understood English, "Why are you wet?"

"Anakin got dehydrated, I had to refill the water jug," Mia answered tiredly.

Before she knew it, a female Svelk took her hand and led her out the cave. Mia protested for a moment but it either went ignored or wasn't understood. It wasn't until she was standing outside the cave that she noticed it had stopped raining. She was led to something resembling a carriage she'd only seen on planets like Naboo or where other monarchies existed. Sitting down on the bench inside, Mia almost immediately fell asleep, unable to keep her eyes open. In the carriage behind her Anakin was boarded inside, strapped to a cot.

September 13th, Six years before Galactic Empire

When Anakin woke up he was on a cot, resting on his side. In front of him, on the cot next to his was Mia, sleeping, her breath shallow and wheezing.

"She's sick," Obi-wan spoke, sitting on a stood positioned against a wall, looking pale. He chuckled humorlessly. "She has pneumonia to be precise, twelve hours in a wet tunic in the cold will do that to you."

"And you?" Anakin questioned, his voice croaking, "You ran through the rain."

"A cold but nothing more," He answered, "Small miracles, I suppose."

Obi-wan sighed, his head tilting back so it rested against the wall, "The Jedi are coming, bringing their doctors."

Nodding tiredly, Anakin noticed he didn't hurt so much. His back ached faintly, he supposed he could chalk that up to drugs.

"Get some rest," Obi-wan suggested, "You need your sleep."

Nodding again, Anakin closed his eyes, "That applies to you as well," Anakin slurred, succumbing to sleep quickly.

September 15th, Six years before Galactic Empire

The first thing Mia was aware of was someone pressing their hand to her forehead before murmuring something she couldn't quite hear and pressing something cold behind her ear that beeped. Then something cold was placed on her forehead. Her lungs felt tight and heavy. They ached in the worst way. Her throat felt thick, if that made any sense. It didn't for her. Turning on her side, Mia coughed. It made her chest rattle and brought something up.

**_Phlegm_**, her mind hazily supplied.

She kept coughing and it didn't seem to stop. Someone placed their hand on her arm, keeping her steady. As the coughing resided, Mia opened her eyes slowly. Her eyes met the grey eyes of someone familiar, someone she couldn't, at this point, name.

"Easy there," He told her soothingly, "How do you feel?"

She made a sign she was pretty sure meant 'great' but she wasn't sure if he understood her.

"Never better," She muttered, her voice thick and croaky.

He chuckled, it was dry but it was warm, "At least you still have your sense of humor," He laughed, "Just get some rest. You're on antibiotics, so you should feel better soon."

Mia nodded slowly before she suddenly remember Anakin. "Where's Anakin?" She asked, worry in her voice.

"He's fine," He assured her, "Doing better than you actually."

Looking past him, she saw Anakin laying down on a cot, watching her. Mia smiled faintly, happy to see him alive and well. The doctor—she still couldn't remember his name, her head was to hazy—stood up and walked away.

**_Confusion, sign of fever_**, Mia remembered, finally understanding why nothing made all that much sense at the moment.

"How do you feel?" Anakin asked her.

"I should be asking you that," Mia murmured, eyes starting to slowly close.

Anakin sighed, "Better, all thanks to you," He answered quietly, "I probably wouldn't have made it without you."

Mia opened her eyes again, staring into his blue eyes. There was something about that sentence she didn't quite like. She didn't like the notion that Anakin wasn't positively invincible, that it was possible she might, one day, lose him.

She opened her mouth to say something, not quite sure what she wanted to say, but was interrupted by a harsh coughing fit. Her chest seized and she could feel her heart hammering in her chest. As it subsided, she opened her eyes again.

"I hate this planet," She mumbled.

"Yeah, me too," He agreed, "Obi-wan say's we're going back to the Temple as soon as you're healthy enough to travel."

The doctor—Master Greyback, she remembered—walked over to them again, "Let's check those bandages," He spoke to Anakin.

Groaning in annoyance, ever the difficult patient, Anakin sat up slowly and turned so he was facing the wall. Master Greyback lifted up the hospital gown Mia was just now noticing and began removing the large, square bandage covering most of Anakin's upper back. Pealing it away gently, Mia was shocked to see that the angry red burn, that she was certain was going to scar, was little more than a patch of pinkish skin, almost completely healed.

Mia swore under her breath out of surprise. It was enough to make Master Greyback turn and give her a scolding look.

"How long was I out?" She asked breathlessly.

His eyes softened, "Three days," He answered.

"The Jedi brought some really powerful super medicine that healed the burn," Anakin explained, looking over his shoulder at her, "Practically overnight too."

Mia nodded, too shocked to speak. Turning to her, Master Greyback smiled gently and told her to get some rest, pulling the thin blanket up to her shoulders. Mia closed her eyes willingly as her brain slowly registered the fact that it was a bad idea to be sleeping with a blanket when she had this high a fever. Sentiment, she supposed, he'd always had a soft spot for her.

September 17th, Six years before Galactic Empire

Two days later, Mia's fever had broken and her lungs weren't so congested so Claus Greyback and Obi-wan decided that it was time to move Anakin and Mia to the Temple. Anakin was quite glad to get off this planet and he hoped he never came back. As they were loaded onto the ship Master Greyback and the other Jedi had arrived in, Anakin looked over to Obi-wan.

"Finally going home," Anakin murmured, relieved.

"Yes, after a week here, I must say, I'm quite relieved to be going home," Obi-wan agreed.

Anakin turned to Mia, strapped onto a gurney—like him—her eyes closed and her chest rising and falling slowly, almost unnoticeable.

"She sleeps a lot," Anakin whispered, still worried.

"Yes, at this point sleep is the best thing for her," Claus explained as he walked in. Turning to Obi-wan, he sighed, "She's safe to be taken care of at home, but let me know if she gets worse again."

Obi-wan nodded, "Will do, thank you Claus," He spoke, exchanging a look with the Jedi Master that Anakin couldn't read.

"Don't thank me, just make sure she gets better," Claus replied, casting a quick glance at Mia before walking away.

October 17th, Six years before Galactic Empire

Mia walked into her room and moved towards the bookshelf. It was an old, unsteady little bookshelf but she was happy with it. Skimming the titles of the books, she eyed her favorite. She hadn't read it in a while. Pulling it out, Mia walked towards her bed, opening the book. Something fell out from between the pages. Surprised, Mia looked down. Sitting at her feet was a letter with her name on it. Confused, Mia picked it up and sat down on the bed. Curious to know what it said, Mia opened it. It wasn't until she had it in her hands that she realized what it was. It was Anakin's letter to her, in the event he ever died.

Mia,

If you're reading this, you either found it without knowing what this was and opened it, or I died and told you where it was. I love you, and if I haven't told you by now then shame on me, I deserve to die. You deserve to hear it from me, to watch as I sign it and to know that you mean everything to me. I can't predict how the next mission will go, who are we kidding, there's always a next mission. I can't predict how I will make it. It's that uncertainty that made me write this letter. All I know is that I am completely in love with you and I have been for a while. It's not the kind of love that comes and goes, is marked in days and counted in gifts and words. It's the kind of love that lasts and it changes you in ways you can't begin to understand. I want you to know, more than anything. I love you.

Anakin

Mia reread it a second time, unable to believe it. As she was reading it, getting to the end, the door to the apartment opened suddenly. She knew by the Force signature and the sound of his footsteps that it was Anakin. Standing up suddenly, she walked into the hall just as he was moving towards the room he shared with Obi-wan. He opened his mouth to say something but then his eyes drifted to the letter in her hands.

"I love you too," Mia whispered as her eyes watered.

Stepping forward, Anakin held one hand to her cheek as the other pulled her closer. He kissed her, it was long and it was filled with need and love. Mia's fingers wound around the fabric of his tunic, keeping him close as his fingers tangled through her hair. Everything felt complete.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that. Leave me a review, letting me know if you want to see more adventures from before the Empire.


	2. A History Lesson in Rebellion

I know, I know, it's been forever since I posted anything for this story. I've been dealing with severe writer's block for not this story but others. I figured this was the least I could do.

* * *

-Lesson One-

Obi-wan smiled as he walked down the streets to a playground with Mia. He wasn't technically allowed to do it, it was a surprised he was even getting away with it. He wasn't a Jedi Knight and Mia wasn't his Padawan but here he was, taking the seven year old out on an adventure. She was skipping with excitement, marveling at the world around her because it was still very new to her.

"_What's a playground like?_" Mia asked him, eyes wide and curious.

"_It's fun, it's like running around and climbing trees in the Room of a Thousand Fountains but you don't get in trouble for it_," He explained.

"_Really?_" She asked, even more excited.

Obi-wan nodded, "_At least, that's what I've heard, I never got to play on one as a kid_," He added.

They rounded the corner of a street in this very nice neighborhood. Mia stopped, looking at the strange structure as kids climbed it and ran around. Looking up at Obi-wan, she hesitated. Smiling, Obi-wan nudged her towards it. Mia walked towards it and began going up the steps, watching as other kids played. Sitting down at a bench, Obi-wan watched as she slid down before moving towards what he was pretty sure was monkey bars, jumping up and catching them with both hands before swinging her legs and propelling herself forward. There was a nerve wracking moment as she left go with both hands and grabbed hold of the second bar. One minute she was trying something new but it seemed she most enjoyed the monkey bars, swinging from them effortlessly.

She jumped down right before another little girl, about her age, ran over and touched her hand to Mia's arm, "Tag," She announced before running away.

Confused, Mia ran after her and doing exactly what she did, "Tag," She shouted, grinning.

Obi-wan grinned, sitting back as he watched.

"Which one's yours?" One mom asked.

Obi-wan pointed to Mia, "Dark haired girl," He answered.

"Is she your sister or daughter?" She asked, curious.

Obi-wan blinked, surprised to know he actually looked old enough to be a parent at all, "Uh, sister," He replied uncertainly, "Adopted," He added.

"She's adorable," The woman commented.

Obi-wan nodded before turning his attention back to Mia.

Afterwards they got a treat and when Obi-wan made her swear not to tell anyone Mia made the adorable motion of pretending to zip her lips and throw away the key.

-Lesson Two-

Mia slowly made her way towards Qui-gon and Obi-wan's apartment. Qui-gon was away on a mission and Obi-wan was busy with classes. One Jedi glanced at her as they passed each other in the halls, finding it odd to see an eight year old youngling outside of classes at this hour. Mia just smiled innocently as she neared the apartment. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the key she'd pickpocketed off of Obi-wan at breakfast—a task that had been ridiculously easy with her skilled fingers—and unlocked the door. It was far too easy for her to get away with this sort of thing but that was just the benefit of the goody-two-shoes reputation she'd built for herself over the years.

Closing the door, Mia started making tea with the electric teapot—she still wasn't comfortable enough with her ability listening through the Force to risk accidently burning the apartment down. Tea made, Mia sat down at the couch with a book and a flashing timer, setting it off to warn her in forty-five minutes that she should return to class.

This was so much better than Master Hadu's idea of history class, which involved a lot of facing the board while speaking and playing videos without captions. And Obi-wan and Qui-gon wondered why she was failing the class.

The timer went off much too soon and Mia stood up to head towards her mathematics class.

-Lesson Three-

Another speeder zoomed past her, the driver honking his horn at her just before swerving back into the lane ahead. Beside her Obi-wan continued explaining the laws around lane changing and the need to signal, like what had just happened wasn't a perfect example of people not actually doing that. Mia gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles going white as she attempted to change lanes, starting the signal. She didn't know what it was, maybe it was the idea of driving that was stressing her out or maybe it was Obi-wan's method of teaching but either way she felt like screaming with frustration as her chest tightened.

"I don't think I can do this," She groaned as they stopped in front of a light.

"Yes you can," Obi-wan reassured her, "You've only just started learning."

Mia groaned, "I'm not even old enough to drive on this planet, legally," She reminded him.

"Yes, but there are many other planets on which you are old enough to drive," Obi-wan told her.

The light turned green and she began moving again.

"How many planets can there be that would allow a fourteen year old to drive?" Mia argued, losing her patience.

"I can think of one that will allow a nine year-old to pilot in the most dangerous race in the galaxy," Obi-wan stated.

"That's different, Anakin was practically born to pilot," Mia disputed, tempted to roll her eyes.

Obi-wan sighed, "I would not call what Anakin does 'piloting'," He pointed out. "Mia, you won't always have me as your instructor, you need to learn all you can to be a successful Jedi."

"Why, so I can let my future Padawan pilot for me?" Mia argued, getting more and more sarcastic by the moment.

"You know, you could end up being a better driver than Anakin," Obi-wan suggested, "At least, you'd be better at following the laws than he is."

Mia sighed as she attempted changing lanes again, "I get the sense the word 'patience' is involved in this little pep-talk," She muttered as she signaled.

"Mia, you can do this," Obi-wan assured her, "Mastering this skill takes time."

"And it wouldn't be the most difficult skill you've mastered," He added.

Mia slowed to a stop, taking a few deep breaths to ease her nerves, reminding herself that when this was all over she could tell Anakin to get in the back seat for a change. That would feel good.

Nodding, Mia found herself determined, "Alright, so around 37th?" She asked, smiling.

Obi-wan smiled back, feeling proud, "After that, maybe we could get lunch at Dex's," He offered. Mia nodded as she turned right onto 37th street.

-Lesson Four-

The light from the city outside shined through the tall windows, lighting the corridors. The sounds of speeders outside came through the walls like white noise, a near constant presence on Coruscant. Anakin slowly followed Mia down the dark, shadowy halls, keeping his head down and watching out for any Jedi who might try to stop them.

"Would you stop that already?" Mia asked him in a hushed whisper, stopping to glare at him, "Don't walk so suspiciously, you look like you're up to no good."

"Yeah, well if you haven't noticed, we are up to no good," Anakin argued quietly.

Mia rolled her eyes, "Just walk like a normal person," She muttered, continuing down the hall.

Sighing, Anakin tried to catch up while looking as casual as possible.

"You are so bad at this," Mia complained under her breath after another twenty feet.

"Look, I'm walking casually," Anakin insisted.

"You're walking like a headless turkey-monk," Mia disputed.

Finally she stopped and looked up at the door straight ahead. Reaching into the pocket of her cloak, she pulled out a key. "Would you like to do the honors?" She asked him.

"How did you get the key anyway?" Anakin asked her and he took it from her hand and stepped towards the door.

"Pick-pocketed it off Master Hadu," She answered nonchalantly.

Anakin turned around quickly, "You can pick-pocket?" He questioned, shocked.

Mia nodded slowly, "It is honestly amazing that you and Obi-wan have never noticed before," She told him with heavy sarcasm dripping in her tone.

Pushing past him, Mia unlocked the door and motioned for him to go in. Shutting the door behind her, Mia walked further inside the small, cramped room. The polished metal cabinets lined up on the wall to her right looked promising.

"Since when do you know how to pick-pocket?" Anakin asked her.

"Since before we met," She answered with a shrug, "I'm not exactly sure when I learned it but it was pretty young. It's actually not that hard to pick up."

"Wait, do you pick-pocket us?" Anakin questioned, worried.

Mia smirked, "Sometimes," She admitted. Reaching into a file, she pulled out a stack of test sheets. "Now, do you want to finish your test or do you want to finish this little gab-session?"

Huffing, Anakin took them from her and shifted through them until he found his name messily scrawled in the corner. Fortunately, it was ungraded still. Grabbing a pencil from the cup on the table, he sat down and stooped over his work.

"You know, while we're here, we could peak at the test answers for the next test," Anakin pointed out.

"As much as I love breaking the rules with you, I'd rather study and learn," Mia commented under her breath.

"And you wonder why people call you a nerd," Anakin muttered under his breath before wincing, realizing that was harsh.

Mia turned around, eyes wide, "Wait, what?" She murmured, trying to pretend she never noticed but it was hard not to notice when you could read lips from across the room without meaning too. At least she kept ahead of the gossip circling around the Temple, about her or otherwise.

"Sorry," Anakin whispered, his deep blue eyes flickering up to meet hers.

"I already knew," She admitted.

"Mia, I," Anakin started, not knowing what he'd say.

She turned around and stared at the door, "Just finish your test," She told him quietly.

Anakin worked silently, trying to pretend he didn't notice her crossing her arms with her back turned to him. Her shoulders were rigid. He understood to some degree. He wasn't quite bullied but he often felt the isolation creeping up on him with the reputation of possibly being the chosen one. And she felt that isolation every moment of the day, captured by a barrier of silence nobody ever felt.

"Why does Master Hadu always seem to write in riddles?" Anakin asked almost rhetorically.

"Because he likes to pretend he can compare to Master Yoda," Mia laughed, "Far cry from it, I'm afraid."

Anakin chuckled and stooped over his test, rereading another answer. Mia smoothed out the dark green tunic, shivering slightly from the cold draft of the room as she rubbed her upper arms.

Anakin finished sometime after that and they went back to the apartment they shared with Obi-wan, who never noticed their absence. That next morning Mia pretended to bump against Master Hadu and dropped the key in his pocket before walking away.

-Lesson Five-

Mia and Anakin rounded the corner before they burst out into a sprint, laughing as they ran down the street. They were out of sight and there was nobody who could stop them now. Stopping after a block, Mia leaned against the wall and grinned. Anakin smirked in that mischievous way of his as civilians passed them, giving them odd looks. Granted, the Jedi Temple was on Coruscant but it was rare to see a Jedi out in public, especially two as young as they were.

"Okay, so can you tell me now, what's in the bag?" Anakin asked her.

Mia looked over her shoulder at where a restaurant was located and motioned for him to follow.

"Is it an animal?" Anakin asked, "Is it something you stole?"

Mia turned and smacked his arm, "I did not steal," She insisted as they walked into the restaurant.

"Drugs then?" He asked her.

Mia rolled her eyes, "Yeah, like I'd do drugs," Mia scoffed, "Seriously, are all your guesses going to be this ridiculous?"

"They are until you tell me what's in the bag," Anakin stated.

Mia shook her head as she made a bee-line towards the bathroom. Anakin stopped for a moment, surprised she hadn't had to ask. Had she been here before?

Brushing it off, he followed her until she went into the ladies restroom.

"Really?" He muttered as he leaned against the wall, "We came all the way out here for this?"

A few minutes later a girl walked out, long dark hair with shorts over leggings and a black leather jacket pulled on. Anakin stopped for a moment as he realize it was Mia, in civilian clothing.

"What?" He questioned, shocked.

Mia grinned as she pulled all her hair over one shoulder, waiting for some sort of reaction. Which Anakin didn't happen to have because he was too busy noticing how pretty Mia looked dressed as a normal teenage girl. She was always pretty but this felt different.

"What?" Mia asked, worried as she looked down at her outfit, "Does it look bad?"

"N-n-no," Anakin assured her, stammering, "I've just never seen you looking like a civilian."

Mia smiled as she looked at her Padawan braid before shrugging and deciding nobody would really notice.

"So am I going to be the only one dressed as a Jedi?" Anakin questioned, looking down at his sandy-brown tunics.

Mia held out the bag, "I don't know for certain if they'll fit you but," She trailed off before motioning towards the other restroom.

Nodding, Anakin walked into the guys restroom and towards the nearest stall. Pulling out the clothing, he looked at the pants—regular pants, what a concept—and black t-shirt with a weird white sketched design.

He walked out of the stall slowly, stuffing his Jedi tunics and pants into the bag with Mia's stuff. Anakin stopped as he saw himself in the mirror, looking like a completely different person.

_**I kind of like black**_, he decided, grinning.

He frowned as he realized his typical Padawan hair-cut didn't really go with his civilian clothing. Sighing, he stepped out of the restroom.

The second Mia saw him she grinned. "You look awesome," She decided, "Completely normal."

"Yeah, save for the Padawan hair," Anakin mentioned, gesturing towards his hair.

"I already thought of that," Mia told him just before taking something black out of her pocket.

Reaching up, she pulled it over his head before leaning back to examine it. He was about to ask her what she was doing before she adjusted it, tucking the Padawan braid in under the hat while pushing the hat back just enough so that tuffs of spiky blond hair stuck out.

"Now, you look like a proper hooligan," Mia decided.

"Does anybody actually use the word 'hooligan' anymore?" He asked her, half teasing, half serious, "Or is that just another T.V. thing?"

Mia laughed, "You look like you're of the wrong crowd," She clarified.

He nodded, satisfied with the result, "Now what?" He asked her.

"Now we do whatever we want," Mia decided as she started walking towards the exit. She stopped when they were outside, "What do we want to do?"

They ended up looking at different shops in the area before they heard music coming from inside a coffee shop. Shrugging, Mia walked into the crowded little hole in the wall, looking at the small band towards the back. Anakin got drinks while she found a little table next to the window, switching from watching the band to watching people walk down the street. Anakin sat down next to her, pushing a steaming cup of tea her way.

"So this is what it's like to be normal," Anakin decided, smiling.

Mia' eyebrows furrowed, "What?" She questioned, unable to hear him over the noise.

"_This is what it's like to be normal_," Anakin signed, "_It feels weird_."

"_We haven't done anything normal our whole lives practically_," Mia agreed, smiling.

Anakin nodded in agreement, "_Where'd you get the civilian clothing?_" He asked her.

"_Remember that charity thing I did while you and Obi-wan were on the mission involving the Trade Federation?_" Mia asked him. He nodded. "_Okay, well I helped them collect the clothing and I put aside a few things for me, in case I wanted to go out like a normal person_."

Anakin nodded, surprised.

"_Then last week was the first time I snuck out and I realized that it's much more fun to do it with someone_," Mia continued, "_So I found a shop and I got you something_."

Anakin smiled at the thought.

Mia tipped her cup back, taking a long sip before she noticed something. The table of twenty-somethings behind Anakin, on his right, were watching them. Staring was more accurate.

"It's so weird," One blond girl whispered, looking between her group of friends as her lips moved quickly, "What are they doing?"

Mia sighed for a moment, watching closely for a moment as she read their lips.

"Maybe it's gang-signs," One dark haired guy suggested with an amused grin.

Mia frowned suddenly and glared at them. "You know, it's not nice to talk about a deaf person behind their back," She called to them, annoyed, "They tend not to like it."

Anakin's eyebrows furrowed before he looked over his shoulder. The guy who had suggested gang-signs held his hands up, "Uh, tell him we're sorry?"

Mia rolled his eyes, "Yeah, because you can't tell him yourself," Mia replied, "He's right in front of you."

"_Mia, what are you doing?_" Anakin asked her in sign, watching the group curiously as they gawked at them.

"_Not being their current object of fascination_," Mia silently replied.

The guy looked between Anakin and Mia before smiling, "Sorry man, didn't mean to be rude," He apologized.

Anakin waved before turning back to Mia, "_Is that what it's like all the time?_" He asked her, surprised.

Mia nodded very slowly, "_Has been that way for my entire life_," She rolled her eyes, "_I heard, well saw, a new one this time._"

Anakin's eyebrows furrowed, "_Do I even want to know?_" He asked her.

"_Sorry Anakin, but do these look like gang-signs to you?_" Mia with an amused grin, "_I'm asking you because, well, I'm not the one who apparently looks like they should belong in a gang_."

Anakin's mouth dropped open, "What?" He questioned aloud, "Seriously?!"

Mia nodded slowly before smiling as she watched the group behind Anakin tense up a little, having apparently heard him.

"Do you think maybe we should leave?" One of the girls asked who looked to be her boyfriend.

"Yeah man, I don't want to get cut by a deaf kid tonight," The other guy added, clearly thinking he couldn't be heard.

"You do know he's not a gangster or something, right?" Mia questioned, more amused than she thought possible, "He's not going to hurt you."

Anakin burst out laughing, "Me, a gangster, that's hilarious," He commented before turning around, "I'm a Jedi actually."

The shock on their faces was priceless. "_I wish I had a camera_," Mia added in sign.

"Wait, what?" One of the girls muttered, not believing it, "But you don't even look like Jedi."

Anakin pulled off his hat, "We were actually in disguise," He explained, sides hurting as he fought the urge to laugh.

"Wait, are you actually deaf?" The dark haired guy questioned.

"No, she is," Anakin answered. His hands begin to move in sync with his words, "_And this is sign language, how the Deaf prefer to communicate_."

"_I really need a camera_," Mia stated in sign.

"_Oh, you'll just have to remember this one_," Anakin told her, smirking.

"I also read lips," Mia added, smiling her sweetest smile, the kind that made people let her off easy. "Gang signs, that's a funny one though."

"Sorry about that," The guy apologized sheepishly.

She smiled, "It's okay," She replied.

Anakin checked his watch, "I think we need to head back," He told Mia, "Obi-wan's probably wondering where we are."

Nodding, Mia stood up with her tea in hand, "See you later," She called as they walked out into the cold night air.

They managed not to burst out laughing until they were a block away, "Gang signs though," Anakin choked out, clutching his sides.

Mia grinned, "We have to get you new clothes," She stated.

He nodded in agreement as they started walking down the streets, making their way towards the Jedi Temple. He swung his arm over Mia's shoulder as they laughed and decided they'd have to do this again. It was just a matter of when.

-Lesson Six-

Rushing up the stairwell, laughter and excitement bubbling in their throats, Anakin and Mia opened the door leading into the roof. Stepping into the cold air, they paused for just a moment in breathless laughter. Taking the stool next to the door, Anakin nudged it in front of the door with his foot to keep it propped open. Turning, he looked at Mia, smirking with amusement as she unbuttoned her heavy black coat, a canvas bag hanging by her fingertips. Grinning mischievously as always, Anakin stepped forward and kissed her softly. Mia raised her hand, her fingers brushing gently across the hallows of his cheeks, her palm folding around his jawline. As they pulled away her thumb traced over his lips before one last kiss. Taking his hand, she led him towards the edge of the building, stopping just a meter or two short of the edge.

They were just two shadowy silhouettes on one building in a sea of buildings on a planet that was nothing but lights, standing in the middle a galaxy slowly circling around them in a dance across billions of years.

They were just little specs in the history of time but this moment here, the adrenaline flowing through their veins as they did something forbidden and the beauty the lights around them and the way they looked at each other with love in their eyes, this moment was perfect.

"This has got to be our dumbest idea," Mia whispered, marveling at the city before her.

"Probably," He agreed with a laugh as he took the canvas bag from her fingers, "So here's what I got while you were—," "Distracting the clerk?" She replied, smirking.

"One lifetime of Jedi responsibility, one night of teenage rebellion," Anakin quietly declared as he pulled out a plastic bottle with clear liquid in it.

Sitting down, Mia opened the package of plastic cups and offered one to Anakin as he sat down, opening the bottle. She watched him pour it, smiling as he handed it to her and began pouring a cup for himself.

"On Tatooine they have this little tradition when they go drinking," "What, getting drunk and puking behind the bar?" He laughed, "On Tatooine, when you go drinking for the first time you're supposed to do it outside in the middle of nowhere with friends and there's this Huttese saying they use."

"What is it?" Mia asked him quietly, smiling.

"Ood'nala sha-ven," Anakin whispered, holding his drink out.

"Ood'nala sha-ven," Mia returned, touching her drink to his.

Together they tipped their drinks back. Mia sputtered it on the second sip, hacking up a cough as Anakin made a face, staring down at his drink like it had done something offensive.

"Is it supposed to taste like this?" Mia questioned, throat raw.

"If it is I don't get the attraction," Anakin muttered.

Shrugging, Mia took another burning sip of the alcohol, doing her best not to make a face this time. "I think you're supposed to do it in short amounts and you drink it really quick," Mia suggested.

Staring down at his plastic cup, Anakin shrugged before tipping it back again. Swallowing, he coughed as his throat protested.

"_Do you know how much we're supposed to drink?_" Mia questioned, "_Is there a set requirement?_"

He shrugged, "_I think the requirement is you have to wake up the next morning with a killer headache_," He laughed.

"_How long does it take for you to feel it?_" Mia asked him, feeling her chest heat up.

"_You did hear the part where I told you it's my first time drinking too, right?_" He questioned.

Mia shook her head, "_No, I'm deaf_," She replied before a grin broke out, "Must have missed that."

"Did you get food?" Mia asked.

"Yeah," Anakin answered.

"Good, so you're not completely useless," She laughed.

He looked at her with the most undignified of disbelieving looks, "Hey, need I remind you, I got the liquor?" He pointed out.

"Which you only managed because I distracted the clerk," Mia reminded him, smiling.

"_Throw up some hand signs and a pretty smile_," Anakin complained, rolling his eyes.

"_What, are you telling me you could have done a better job distracting him?_" Mia challenged.

He scoffed and pulled out a bag of chips. Smiling, Mia opened the bag and inhaled the cheesy smell before taking one and crunching on it softly as she offered the bag to Anakin. Leaning back on her arms, her toes inches from the edge of the Jedi Temple, Mia smiled at the sea of lights. Munching on a few, Anakin looked down at his cup.

"Ready to try again?" He asked her.

Shrugging, Mia held out her cup, "Pour a little and we'll down it," She decided. He looked up at her and she smiled shyly, "What, it's what they do in movies."

Anakin snorted in amusement, it was a running joke with them as they tried all the things supposedly regular teenagers did. He poured a little into her cup before doing the same with his. He held his cup up, a silent question if she was ready. Smiling, Mia held hers up. They dipped them back and swallowed as quickly as possible, the burning alcohol rushing down their throats and into their chest. Smiling, Mia set the cup down and moved so she was laying on her back, looking up at the black sky, only a few stars visible.

"You know what I wish," Mia murmured.

Anakin craned his neck to look at her, "What?" He asked, curious.

"I wish I lived on a planet where you could actually see the stars," Mia murmured, "Imagine if I never left Coruscant for a mission ever, in my entire life, I'd never know what it was like to see a sky full of stars and to look for all the different constellations."

Leaning back, Anakin looked up at the sky with her, "That was one thing I never anticipated when I came here," He murmured, counting five stars total. "On Tatooine you could see every star in the sky, I never thought it was even possible to live somewhere without them until I came here."

"We don't have trees either," Mia added thoughtfully, "Not naturally I mean, they cut them all down here. The only way to actually see a tree is to go to one of those fancy gardens for rich people."

"We have the Room of a Thousand Fountains," Anakin pointed out, "That has trees."

Mia made a face, "But those aren't there naturally," She sighed, "Somebody took them out of the ground and stuck them down here."

Anakin nodded thoughtfully, "So you want to live on a planet with stars and trees," He concluded.

"And seasons," Mia added, "I've never seen snow."

"Neither have I," Anakin agreed before a thought crossed his mind, "Why's it on your mind all of a sudden?"

Mia sighed, "You know how Obi-wan has basically never told me anything about my home planet?" She asked him as she rolled onto her side, resting her head on his shoulder. "Besides things like not cutting your hair short before marriage or that I lived in a little house on a hill?"

Anakin nodded.

"I finally got it out of him last week," Mia murmured, "I'm from Ammi-seru."

"Where's that?" Anakin asked, gently brushing a few hairs away from her face.

"It's on the outer-rim and get this, their planet doesn't have a moon," Mia told him, smiling at the thought.

"Wait, no moon, at all?" Anakin questioned, surprised. Mia shook her head slowly. "So you want to live there?" He guessed.

Mia shook her head again, "The reason he never told me anything about it was because women there are practically treated like slaves," Mia explained, "They can't leave the house without a man, they can't work without their father's or husband's permission, there are strict rules about what they're allowed to wear. It's just awful there."

Mia buried her head in his shoulder, "I can't imagine living somewhere like that," She whispered.

Anakin ran his fingers through her hair, flowing freely down her back. He didn't know what to say. He and Mia had always considered themselves lucky to have been found by Qui-gon and Obi-wan but Mia had never known just how lucky she was. He'd always know what it was like to live on Tatooine.

Mia pulled away, sitting up, "I really don' wan to think about it," She decided, not seeming to realize she was slurring.

Anakin smiled, "I think you're starting to feel the effects," He mentioned, "_For once your slurring can be blamed on something else_."

Mia grinned, making Anakin wonder if he would have gotten away with that comment had she been a bit more sober. "_Are you feeling it?_" She asked him after a long moment of silence.

He thought about it, "I don't think so," He murmured, uncertain.

Reaching for the liquor bottle, Mia poured a little more for him and handed him the cup, "Cheers," She laughed.

Downing it, Anakin choked a little, "I don't think I like drinking," He muttered, voice hoarse.

"I don't think it likes your either," Mia joked, laughing.

Anakin rolled his eyes, "I think you're a lightweight," He decided.

"Technically I have a lower body mass than you do so it's not actually going to take as much alcohol to get me drunk," Mia pointed out, smirking.

Anakin chuckled, "I love when you talk medical to me," He teased her as he leaned in.

Mia laughed and pressed her lips to his. They kissed slowly, Anakin's hand winding around the small of her back to pull her closer. Mia wrapped her cold fingers around his neck as she leaned forward, deepening the kiss.

-Lesson Seven-

Obi-wan held his tongue as his Padawans glared at their mugs or coffee—or tea, in Mia's case. Anakin scrubbed his forehead over his face, his haggard face and the deep set bags under his eyes all too noticeable. Mia avoided looked out the window or towards any source of light. It was just so obvious and it almost made him want to laugh if he wasn't so miffed with them. What were they thinking, drinking? He could easily believe Anakin drinking one year shy of being legal age to drink on this planet, but dragging Mia into it? Obi-wan hated how freely Anakin sometimes got Mia into trouble.

He let them leave the apartment without a lecture, still not decided on an appropriate punishment.

Then of course Master Windu asked him to meet him in his office.

"Coruscant police received a report from a liquor store owner who said two teenagers stole a bottle of liquor and food from his store. He says the girl distracted him with sign language he didn't understand while the boy lifted a bottle while the owner's back was turned. You wouldn't happen to know anything about this?" Master Windu pinned him with a hard stare, watching for any sign of a tell.

Obi-wan sighed, "Well, I was aware of their drinking last night and they've been punished."

Okay, he lied, or at least gave a half truth, he hadn't chosen a punishment yet.

"But of course I will be adding to it as well as paying the store owner back for the stolen goods," Obi-wan added.

Master Windu, "Very well, see to it they don't pull something like this again," He ordered sternly before dismissing Obi-wan.

It was a little bit of him that still remembered the moments of rebellion from his youth that made him lie to the man, if only to prevent Master Windu from choosing his own punishment.

* * *

Reviews equate love (though this absence doesn't entitle me to any) so please review, it's encouraging.


	3. The Horrible Tale of Salloo T4 Part II

Here we are again with the second chapter of 'That Shithole of a Planet'. Yes, there is still some swearing given Anakin is of a younger age and more prone to it. Due to considerable length, this adventure actually had to be divided into two separate chapters, the second of which I will be posting next week.

* * *

November 21st, Six years before Galactic Empire

Anakin stared into Mia's eyes, feeling an electric charge in the air. She smirked at him, changing her stance minutely, putting just a little more weight on her back foot. Charging forward, Anakin swung his lightsaber in a downward arc. Raising her lightsaber up above her head, Mia blocked and pushed him off before making a low swipe towards his legs. It had him stepping back again, buying Mia time as she pulled the Force around her before jumping onto one of the tall pillars. Steadying himself, Anakin jumped after her, not sure what she'd do next. Mia often preferred a stronger defense, waiting for her opponent to make a slip up, make an opening for her to use to her advantage.

Stepping forward quickly, he aimed for her left side, a little less protected than her right. Switching up her grip, Mia moved her left hand over her right on the hilt of the lightsaber, switching to her left hand naturally. It was another thing the Jedi found odd about her, she was mix-handed. Blocking him with ease, she planted her left foot on his chest and pushed him back. Stumbling, Anakin quickly found his balance before he was sent over the edge of the pillar. He charged at Mia, swinging his lightsaber horizontally, revving up the speed of the spar. Mia ducked and rolled away, surprised. She flew through the air as she moved onto the next pillar, forcing Anakin to play catch-up.

Running forward, he jumped onto the next pillar. Mia flipped through the air as she swung at him with her lightsaber. Grunting, Anakin blocked and pushed her back. Mia ducked under his next jab, deflected his downward arc and jumped away from his swinging kick. He tucked down and stuck towards her legs in an attempt to unsteady her. Without hesitation she jumped off the edge of the pillar, flipping through the air and landed soundly on her feet thirty feet down, using the Force to soften her fall. He followed, landing on the blue mats as he tried to catch his breath. She looked a little tired but she'd mostly just been dodging his next attacks, striking only when it most suited her.

He charged forward, swinging his lightsaber horizontally. Instead of blocking him, Mia did a one-handed back-handspring and landed soundly on her feet as Anakin stumbled to the side, his momentum becoming his enemy.

Above, in the gallery above, Obi-wan watched as down below his Padawans went back and forth. He shook his head as Anakin faltered again. Anakin was at that awkward stage where he'd sprouted up quickly, becoming taller than even Obi-wan now, in the last six months but he wasn't used to his new height and it was holding him back, making him clumsier. Mia, however, had stopped growing a year ago and was, by nature, far more graceful than Anakin. As a result, Mia had been winning more of their spars, be it hand-to-hand—which came more naturally to Mia—or with a lightsaber. Anakin had a talent for lightsaber combat though, so once he got more used to his height he'd be back to winning their spars.

Mia blocked another uppercut from Anakin as she raised her right hand and pushed him back just a few steps with the Force. Disengaging her lightsaber, Mia dropped to the ground and sweep-kicked Anakin off his feet. He grunted as his left elbow his the ground first, followed by his back. He looked up as Mia pointed her lightsaber at him. Extinguishing his lightsaber, Anakin held his hands up in defeat. Extinguishing her lightsaber as well, Mia offered him her hand. Taking it, he allowed Mia to lever him us as he stood. He looked down at her, still finding it strange to stand over her. Before they'd always been about the same height.

"Well, that went quite well," Obi-wan spoke up, startling them.

"How much of that did you see?" Anakin asked, hoping Obi-wan didn't see too much of Mia kicking his ass. Again.

"Enough," He answered cryptically, "The back-handspring was pretty impressive."

Mia smiled at the praise, "One-handed back-handspring," She corrected as they crossed the training gym towards their Master.

"I still say it's cheating," Anakin mumbled.

"Anakin, your enemy will not always follow the rules of combat," Obi-wan reminded him, "You need to learn to take every advantage you have."

Sighing, Anakin nodded. That was, after all, why Obi-wan taught them advanced hand-to-hand combat and encouraged Mia to learn gymnastics and improve her climbing skills because he knew it would one day come in handy.

"Come on, we're supposed to meet the Council soon for a mission assignment." Obi-wan told them "Master Yoda called for us specifically."

"Ooh, we get Master Yoda's attention," Mia commented to Anakin as they left the sparring room.

"Important, this mission is," Anakin responded, imitating the Jedi Master.

Obi-wan shook his head, "Just get yourselves cleaned up and meet be in front of the Council chambers in ten minutes."

Turning, Obi-wan continued down the hall without his Padawans. Mia sighed.

"I love how he always says ten minutes when he means fifteen," Anakin commented as they walked towards the locker rooms.

"Probably because you've been late to every single Council briefing in your entire apprenticeship," Mia teased him.

Anakin shook his head, "I'm not late," He argued, narrowing his eyes at her amused smirk, "I just know how to make an entrance."

Mia shook her head, "If you call running in with your tunics on inside-out and your utility belt backwards 'making an entrance' then sure," She muttered.

"I hope it's a combat mission," Mia commented as they turned the corner.

"So long as it's not a diplomat mission," Anakin muttered on his breath.

Mia laughed at that as she walked into the women's locker room. Walking towards one of the lockers, she opened the combination lock and took out her duffle bag before moving towards the shower stall. She stripped out of her sweaty tank top and leggings, kicking her boots off. The water of the shower was icy cold but Mia was past caring at this point. She couldn't remember a time when the showers in the locker rooms were warm and she didn't think the Jedi would ever fix the water heater.

Stepping out when she felt she was clean enough, Mia toweled off and got dressed, wearing a deep blue tunic and black leggings with fresh underwear and socks. Drying her hair as best as she could, Mia started braiding it as she walked out the locker room, not surprised to find Anakin was already waiting. It was habit, mostly, that made him take less time showering. Tatooine didn't have water to waste on showers. Shrugging, they walked down the hall towards the nearest lift.

Through the windows of the Council chambers Mia glanced at the sun as it slowly moved towards the horizon in its late-afternoon haze. Everyone sat in a calm silence as they waited for one more Jedi to show up. He was always late though. She glanced around the room, wondering why it no longer bothered her to be watched by the whole council.

The door opened slowly and Master Yoda stepped in, last to arrive as usual. Maneuvering himself into the chair, Master Yoda sat cross-legged and smiled warmly at the young Jedi in front of him. Obi-wan, Anakin and Mia bowed away, waiting to find out what the mission would be.

"You remember Salloo T4," Master Windu spoke first, looking Anakin and Mia in the eyes.

Anakin swore across the bond he shared with Mia and Obi-wan, not daring to swear in front of Master Windu, not when he was watching Anakin like a hawk.

"The peace treaty isn't going well and King Sar-viena of the Ha'yar clan has requested the three of you return to aid in the treaty between him and the Vasrous clan." Master Windu continued.

Mia's eyebrows raised at that, finding it odd, "He requested us specifically?" Mia questioned.

"Wait, hold on," Anakin spoke up, cutting Mia off, "We almost died on that planet and you want us to go back?"

Master Windu gave Anakin a long, tireless glare, one that had made many a Jedi back down. It wasn't quite enough to make Anakin back down this time.

"A diplomat requested your presence during an important peace treaty because you're a Jedi and Jedi are peace-keepers," Windu reminded Anakin, ice in his scolding tone.

"Easy, this will not be," Yoda added, speaking up for the first time since he'd arrived, "With great care handle this case, you will. Prepared, you must be for lurks, trouble does."

Anakin and Mia glanced at each other, wondering if the other had any idea what Yoda was talking about. For a second Anakin wondered if anyone ever understood what Yoda was talking about.

"You leave tomorrow at 500 hours. Skywalker, you'll report to medical and get checked out," Master Windu told them, "You're dismissed."

Turning, the three of them left. To Anakin's credit, he didn't make a face or any sort of comment about somebody looking at his back. The burn was completely healed but there were still a lot of old scars that always raised questions of their own. Mia looked up at him sympathetically as they walked down in the halls, hating the questions at medical almost as much as he did.

Later, in the solitude of her room, Mia packed slowly, dreading every second of the impending mission. The door opened suddenly and she turned to see Anakin standing in the doorway.

"_Obi-wan wanted me to tell you dinner was almost ready_," Anakin signed, "_Do you need any help packing?_"

Mia shook her head, "_I'm fine_," She answered silently before returning to her packing. She paused for a moment as she considered telling Anakin about her feeling of dread. Turning, she faced him, worry creasing her eyebrow, "_I have a bad feeling about this one_."

"_Yeah, me too_," Anakin explained, "_Last time was really shitty_—."

Mia cut him off, "_That's an understatement_."

"_Last time we were there we almost died, that's a lot to take in_," Anakin reminded her, "_Obi-wan said this feeling of dread is rooted from our last experience_."

Mia bit her lip, "_It's not a feeling of dread so much as_," She paused as she considered her words, "_It's like this impending sense of doom, if that makes sense, like something bad's going to happen._"

"_Nothing will happen, I promise_," Anakin assured her as he stepped closer, closing the distance between them.

Mia smiled in an attempt to reassure herself that Anakin was right but it didn't smother the knotted feeling in her stomach like she thought it would. Leaning down, Anakin kissed her gently, winding his fingers through the still-damp waves of her hair. Smiling through the kiss, Mia pulled herself forward so that there was no space between them. After a long moment, Mia pulled away.

"_Obi-wan's probably done with dinner_," Mia reminded him, "_Hopefully it's not burnt this time_."

Anakin smirked, "_Knowing him, we're lucky if it doesn't catch fire_."

Mia laughed, the first time she'd laughed since finding out about the mission. Stepping around him, she moved out into the hall and made her way towards the small kitchen where Obi-wan was putting something on plates. Looking over the counter, she was surprised to see sandwiches and salad on the plates.

"Keeping it simple then," Mia commented with a smirk.

"I'd rather I didn't have to hear you and Anakin critique my cooking skills," Obi-wan replied.

"Anakin doesn't critique so much as he mocks," Mia joked, laughing.

"In any event, I thought we'd use dinner to go over the mission one more time as a refresher," Obi-wan spoke up as he sat down at the table with three files in hand.

Mia took one and began skimming it immediately.

Anakin groaned, "I don't see the point," He muttered irritably, "It's not like we weren't briefed the last time we had the great misfortune of going there and it's only been a few months, I doubt it's changed that much."

"They've got rebels now," Mia mentioned.

"Violent rebels, it would seem," Obi-wan commented, "Why is it that every time there's a rebellion afoot it comes with chaos and blood?"

Anakin laughed at that, "What, you want a peaceful rebellion?" He challenged, "We'll just sit down in peaceful protest while you rob us of our rights."

"You know, given the right reason, you might choose to one day join a rebellion yourself Master," Mia commented with a smile at the thought of Obi-wan fighting a corrupt government.

"Not a chance," Obi-wan replied as he turned to her, "Nothing could force me to join."

Anakin laughed, "Just too uncivilized for you?" He joked.

Mia smiled and took a bite of her sandwich, picturing Obi-wan standing in some sort of temporary hide-out planning the next big strike against the enemy. The moment of wonder was lost as Anakin and Obi-wan argued over who should pilot the next morning.

November 22nd, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

_**She didn't know where she was, it was dark and damp and it smelled like mold. It was too dark to see anything. Standing up instantly, Mia moved around her surroundings, her hands moving over the surface of the wall she'd been sleeping against as she traced the parameters of wherever she was. Mia's fingers slid over something cold, metal and cylindrical. Moving her other hand towards the second wall, she traced over the row of bars, realizing with a sickening feeling in her stomach that she was in a prison cell.**_

Sitting up, startled, Mia looked around her surroundings, finding herself somewhere dark but somewhere familiar. Moving towards the lamp on the nightstand, she turned it on, relieved to be in her room again. Checking the clock, she realized it was an hour before she was supposed to be up. Slumping over onto her back on the soft mattress, Mia stared up at the ceiling. The knot in her stomach that had started to form at the briefing the day before was worse, tighter and more painful. She couldn't escape the feeling that something terrible was going to happen on that planet.

Sighing, Mia sat up and moved towards the door, going into the kitchen to cook breakfast for herself, Obi-wan and Anakin. As she busied herself with the task the thoughts of the mission simmered in the back burner of her mind.

Sometime later Anakin and Obi-wan wandered out their room, not yet dressed for the mission. They sat down at the tiny little table silently. Anakin was never one to talk in the morning and Obi-wan had long since learned not to bother drawing his Padawan into conversation. Pouring eggs from the pan onto three plates along with sausage and toast, Mia handed each of them a plate before sitting down herself. They ate quietly, Anakin and Obi-wan sipping their coffee as Mia nursed her cup of tea, not yet able to appreciate the bitter taste of coffee.

"Mia, did you get any sleep last night?" Obi-wan inquired in sign language, noticing the dark circles under her watery grey eyes.

Mia shook her head, "_Not really_," She replied, purposely leaving out the nightmare. Obi-wan would just worry if she told him.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Mia sipped her tea, remembering her nightmare. She'd had similar dreams but this one felt different somehow. She couldn't explain what about it felt different.

Sighing, Mia left and walked back to her room to change. She pulled on a dark blue tunic, buttoning the front before wrapping the sash lightly around her waist. After getting dressed and finishing her packing, Mia picked up the first-aid kit—bigger than the one before and better stocked—and a reading book and placed them in her packed duffle bag. It was a diplomatic mission, something told her she'd get some time to read it. Zipping up her bag, she pulled the strap over her shoulder and stepped out of her room. She found Anakin sitting on the couch, still looking grumpy.

"_You can sleep on the ship_," She reminded him.

"_Who's going to fly it?_" He retorted, "_You don't know how and Obi-wan_—." She cut him off, "I just don't care for flying," She said aloud in what was a fair imitation of his accent.

Anakin chuckled, "_That was actually pretty good_," He told her, grinning from ear to ear.

"_You know, the reason I don't know how to fly is because you haven't taught me how_," Mia pointed out as she sat down next to him.

"_You want to learn?_" Anakin asked her, surprised.

Mia nodded, "_Yeah_," She answered.

That mischievous little grin of his started to take over, so wide and infectious Mia was grinning too.

"_If I'm going to teach you to fly though, you have to promise to help me prank Obi-wan_," He told her.

"_Is this a trade?_" Mia signed, grinning.

"_Maybe_," Anakin answered, "_I've got one planned but I need someone he wouldn't suspect to help me with it_."

Mia nodded, "_True, you do have a track record_," She pointed out.

"_I'm thinking something subtle, something that makes him think he's going insane_," He explained.

"_I have an idea_," Mia suggested, "_Want to make an exploding cake? His birthday is coming up_."

Anakin's eyes lit up. "_We make the cake and in the center we cut this giant hole in. Then we take a balloon, blow it up and stick it in the middle and then we cover it in frosting_," Mia explained.

"_Then we make him cut it_," Anakin started, laughter bubbling in his throat. "_Boom!_" Mia finished, hands flying through the air, "_Cake everywhere!_"

They dissolved into fits of laughter.

"I hear laughter and no words, should I be concerned?" Obi-wan questioned as he walked into the main room, arms crossed and looking stern.

"Oh, no, we're just planning to over-throw Chancellor Palpatine," Mia replied easily, sounding almost serious.

"Is that what we're doing," Anakin questioned with his usual mischievous smirk, baiting Obi-wan on. "I thought we were planning the thing with Obi-wan."

Mia leaned in and whispered in his ear, just loud enough for Obi-wan to almost hear, "No, that's for later."

"Oh," Anakin replied, nodding slowly for show.

Obi-wan sighed in his usual long-suffering master way. "Are you two packed? We're running late," He told them.

"Oh, I was packed ages ago," Anakin stated, hands up defensively.

"Yeah, we don't all spend twenty minutes wondering which dress we'll wear," Mia commented off-handedly as she stood up.

Another long-suffering sigh and Obi-wan picked up his pack, following his two Padawans out the door with the thought: _**They're going to be the death of me**_, running through his head.

The Temple was very quiet at this sort of hour. Most Jedi were still asleep save for the few that needed to be up to keep things maintained such as communications and watching the hanger bay, which was where Mia, Anakin and Obi-wan were headed.

They walked into the hanger, not at all surprised to see it deathly quiet save for one Padawan—probably stuck here as punishment—seated at a desk watching what Mia was pretty sure was a younglings show on the monitor in front of him.

"Please tell me that's not The Sciency Adventures of Synic," Mia spoke up, sounding worried, "I haven't caught up on the last two episodes."

"You watch The Sciency Adventures of Synic?" He replied, surprised.

"Oh yeah, it's one of my favorites," Mia replied, smiling.

"Yeah, everybody thinks it's a younglings show but they don't realize Synic is cynical is because he lost his wife and unborn children to an accident with a giant lab-rat," He explained.

Mia leaned back a bit, surprised. _**This is a younglings show? **_She thought, not quite believing it.

Anakin narrowed his eyes at the other teenager, he was about Mia's age but he wasn't sure if they'd ever met before. He'd seen the kid around a few times though.

"And have you ever noticed that Opti is just as much of a downer as Synic but the only reason he seems happy is because he's clearly on drugs?" The other Padawan asked Mia, looking eager.

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Mia questioned, still playing along.

_**Really?**_ Anakin questioned through the bond.

Obi-wan pinched the bridge of his nose, seeming to have lost his patience, "Shesh, can you please tell me which ship we'll be taking?" He requested.

Nodding, Shesh looked down at the printed logs, "Alright, just follow me," He spoke as he stood.

"I think the reason for that is because he has some form of anxiety disorder involving water," Shesh explained to Mia, moving so he was walking next to her.

"Can you believe they make these things for younglings?" Mia questioned, laughing a little.

"I know, right?" Shesh replied, "It's ridiculous."

Anakin looked at the two. If it weren't for the fact Obi-wan was right next to him he'd wrap his arm around Mia and tell Shesh to back off.

_**So apparently this is what it feels like to be jealous**_, Anakin thought with dismay as he looked away.

"Here we are, you've been assigned a J-class 680 Star Cruiser," Shesh told them, stopping.

Anakin looked up at the ship. It was smaller but it was considerably newer.

_**Well, at least I'm not flying another clunker on this mission.**_

"Alright, thanks, we'll take it from here," Anakin stated, smirking at the other Padawan before walking towards the ship.

"Bye Shesh," Mia spoke up with a wave before following Anakin.

"Bye Mia," He replied, waving back.

Anakin faltered for a half second, surprised he knew her by name. Had to be a coincidence. Lots of people knew who Mia was without actually knowing her.

Mia passed him as she boarded the ship, making her way towards the cockpit. Sighing, Anakin followed. Sitting down, he looked at the controls, smiling as he started flipping switches and programming the navi-computer. Mia dropped down in the co-pilot's seat after tossing her bag on the seat behind. Obi-wan stood behind them, confused.

"I don't remember you having learned how to pilot," He commented.

"No offense, but I don't remember you ever actually have'n piloted," Mia commented as she twisted in her seat to face him, "I'm thinking of learning how actually."

Sighing, Obi-wan nodded, "I think I'm going to catch up on some sleep," He muttered, walking to the back of the ship, "Wake me when we land."

"What, so we can tell you if we're making a crash landing?" Mia questioned sarcastically.

Anakin scoffed, "We're not making a crash landing," He muttered as he glared at her, offended.

"I'm under the personal belief that planet is cursed," Mia told him as she leaned back against the chair.

"Either way," Obi-wan mumbled as he walked away.

"Okay, so there's a basic procedure when taking off," Anakin told her, "First thing you strap in."

Taking the seat belt, Mia hooked herself up, "Next?"

"Next you start turning things on," He continued.

"Things, how scientific," Mia commented.

Anakin rolled his eyes, "Once the all the machines are on, you start programming the navi-computer with your location's coordinates and plan out the best route, keeping in mind the right distance around objects in your path."

"And we're supposed to come out of hyperspace at a certain distance away from the planet," Mia added, distinctly remembering something Anakin said about coming out of hyperspace too soon, right before their plummet to the planet Salloo T4.

"Correct," Anakin agreed as he completed programming the right path, "Okay, navi-computer programmed."

"Next we start taking off, keeping steady as we leave," He told her.

Mia listened patiently as Anakin walked her through the steps as he started taking off.

It was surprisingly interesting but there was something about piloting a ship and being responsible for all the lives of the passengers as well as the people in the surrounding area that scared her. She didn't want to screw up and end up killing someone, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

"So how do you know Shesh?" Anakin asked her suddenly.

Mia turned to him, surprised, "We share a biology class," She answered, referring to the classes she was taking for her medical training, "I like him, he doesn't treat me like I'm a freak."

"And you were playing a joke on him because," Anakin trailed off, genuinely curious. It wasn't like Mia to do something like that.

"We play jokes on each other all the time," Mia stated, confused about why he would care, "Why?"

"Just curious," Anakin played it off, focusing on piloting the ship upwards towards the atmosphere.

Mia narrowed her eyes at him, easily seeing through him. "Are you jealous?" She questioned, not sure if she was surprised or not.

"No, course not," He lied.

"You're an idiot," Mia muttered, looking away, "I would never, could never be interested in someone other than you."

Anakin looked at her for a split second, relieved.

They left the atmosphere without incident. As they lifted off into space, surrounded by stars, Anakin taught her the steps for going into hyperspace.

"You might want to tie yourself down to something Master," Anakin spoke through the intercom.

There was a groan, "Duly noted," He muttered, his voice heard over the intercom. After a moment or two of waiting he told them: "Alright, ready."

"Entering hyperspace now," Anakin announced, pulling a lever.

The stationary stars slowly started moving before suddenly they were streaking past them, blues of blue light.

"And now we just relax, I'll monitor the navi-computer, making sure it's taking the right path," Anakin explained as he pressed the button for the intercom again. "You can return to your nap Obi-wan."

Mia nodded, "_So can we discuss the prank_?" Mia signed, finally able to sign now that Anakin's attention wasn't completely directed at piloting.

"_Yeah, where'd you get an idea like that?_" Anakin asked her.

Mia smiled mysteriously, "_That's a secret_," She told him.

Anakin's eyebrows furrowed.

"_When we do it, we should probably stand back while he cuts the cake_," Mia pointed out, "_It's_ _going to be a mess._"

"_I bet you ten bucks we get crèche duty for two weeks_," Anakin challenged.

"_At least," _Mia agreed, "_Well, that and cleaning up the mess_."

Anakin nodded, "_I think we should have a second cake, a regular cake._"

Mia's eyebrows furrowed, "_Why?_" She asked.

"_To make it up to him, lighten the punishment_," Anakin explained.

Mia nodded, "_Yeah, good idea_," She agreed.

They lapsed a wordless silence, hands still as they were left with their thoughts.

"I hate this," Mia muttered.

"Hate what?" Anakin questioned, confused.

"I hate this feeling I get whenever I think of that planet," Mia explained, staring out at the expanse of stars that almost looked like they were falling as they flew past them. "There's something about it that just doesn't sit right."

Anakin sighed, slumping in his chair as he watched the stars, "I had that same feeling the last time," He murmured.

"That's not comforting," She muttered, irked.

"Sorry, was I supposed to tell you it'd all be rainbows and butterflies?" Anakin asked her sarcastically.

Mia rolled her eyes, "Well I'd like to think that it doesn't mean anything," She sighed, "I had this dream," She trailed off, wondering if she really wanted to tell Anakin.

"What kind of dream?" He inquired.

"It was dark and it was silent," Mia explained, staring down at her motionless hands, "I had to feel around."

She sighed, "It was a prison cell, like your typical prison cell with bars and everything," She told him, meeting his eyes and marveling at the way they reminded her so strongly of the ocean. "It felt real."

"All nightmares feel real," Anakin stated, trying to at least reassure her it didn't mean anything, "Your mind can't figure out what's real or not in a dream."

"Then you wake up and you realize it was all in your head," He finished.

"It felt real after," Mia disagreed, "I can still remember the way the bars felt."

For a moment her hand was grasping the cold metal bar, damp and so thick she couldn't make the fingers of her hand touch her thumb.

Anakin reached over and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers, breaking the moment. "_I promise you_," He signed with his left hand, "_It's never going to happen. I won't let it happen._"

Mia smiled, feeling a bit more reassured, "Okay," She whispered.

There was something she loved about the way Anakin signed, the way he signed to her. It was the way every move was fluid and intentional, he meant every word of it. It was the way he met her eyes and every word was suddenly repeated between them, a promise.

Checking down the hall leading to the back of the ship, she checked that Obi-wan wasn't in view before leaning over, her fingers grazing over his cheek as she kissed him, soft and sweet. It felt like they were alone in the universe, this little moment lasting a wonderful eternity. Anakin's fingers traced over the strands of the braid that fell over her shoulder, savoring the kiss and the way it felt to be this close.

They pulled away too soon, the moment broken. Slumping against the chair, Mia let out a soft breath, wishing for a million moments like this.

This was love.

The ride through hyperspace was spent in quiet conversations and stolen kisses. Obi-wan slept in the back of the ship save for a brief stint in which he was getting a snack during their seven hour flight to Salloo T4.

In the middle of a long conversation about crèche duty as a punishment verses something like night watch at the hangers the navi-computer beeped. Sighing, Anakin looked at Mia. "We're going to out of hyperspace soon," He told her.

"Great," Mia drawled out as she looked up, buckets of sarcasm oozing in her tone.

"Hey Obi-wan, we're about to come out of hyperspace," Anakin warned over the intercom.

There was a groan from the back of the ship and slow footsteps as Obi-wan made his way up to the cockpit, sitting in the seat behind Anakin. Mia gripped the arm rests of her chair nervously, worried. Anakin looked at her for a moment, silently asking if she was ready. Giving a jerky little nod, Mia closed her eyes. The ship jolted, slowing down. Opening her eyes, Mia looked down at the planet, swallowing thickly. She felt like running, flying back to Coruscant and telling them to get someone else for this mission.

_**That's fear talking**_, Mia silently reminded herself, _**Jedi aren't afraid. There is no fear, only the Force.**_

On her left she could faintly hear Anakin running through the steps for flying through the atmosphere and landing. It was mostly static noise to her, lost as she focused on keeping calm, steadying her breathing and heart rate.

The ship slowly started descending down on the planet, entering the atmosphere as smoothly as possible. Anakin compared the coordinates of their destination to that of the planet below them, flying them towards the settlement down below. The small kingdom, resting on a hill between the river and the forest, slowly became more visible as they flew down to the ground. Mia blinked when she could see the buildings were made of stone and that the land outside it was crops. Those were details she hadn't really noticed when they'd left with the Jedi the previous time. She was too sick, too out of it to pay attention to scenery. Anakin guided the ship towards a clearing away from the crops, gently landing.

"And no crash landing," Obi-wan commented as he stood up, "Pity, and here I thought you were going to further hone your skill of them."

Anakin turned and glared at Obi-wan's back as he made his way towards the back of the ship, "It was one time," He argued, irritated.

"That and the time at Askabbob," Mia added, standing.

"Hey, Askabbob was not my fault," He disputed, "They shot at us first."

Mia smiled, "I'm just teasing," She assured him as she picked up her bag.

Huffing, Anakin unfastened his seat belt. The second he stood was the moment he realized Mia hadn't immediately left, standing just in front of him. They were so close he could rest his chin on her head without hardly moving.

"Ready?" He asked her.

She exhaled slowly and nodded, "Yeah," She whispered before turning around and walking in the direction Obi-wan disappeared to.

Anakin paused for a moment and sighed. He didn't want to admit to Mia that he had a bad feeling too, he didn't want her to worry. He was worried though.

He found Obi-wan and Mia standing on the edge of the ramp, inches from the grass, looking out at the field in front of them. Mia looked up at him for a moment as he neared, smiling.

"We have a welcoming committee," She mentioned, motioning for him to come see.

Going down the ramp, Anakin's eyebrows furrowed as he watched villagers running in their direction with welcoming smiles.

"Well, that's new," Anakin commented.

Mia nodded.

"Best behavior you two," Obi-wan reminded them.

"We're always on our best behavior," Anakin scoffed.

Obi-wan pinched the bridge of his nose, "Then I worry," He murmured, voice dry, "For their sake."

Mia laughed before stepping out onto the grass as several women neared, their long dresses swaying in the wind. They stopped a few meters ahead of her before smiling and motioning for her to follow. She turned to look at Obi-wan and Anakin before looking back at them.

"Hi, I'm Mia," She greeted, gesturing to herself, "That's Anakin and Obi-wan."

"Welcome, Mia and Anakin and Obi-wan, I am Erha," One woman with a heavy accent, dressed in greys and greens, greeted. She gestured to her two companions. "And this is Rooru and Jera."

"Nice to meet you," Obi-wan greeted, stepping onto the grass.

"Come with us, we will lead you into the city," Erha suggested.

The walk into the city was slow, many more running up to welcome them. As they entered the gates a Svelk standing next to a carriage stepped towards them. His clothing was much more formal than that of those around them and his hair was longer than that of those around him, tied back by a white ribbon.

"I'm here to take you to the king," He spoke as he bowed, not introducing himself.

"Thank you," Obi-wan replied, bowing.

Following his lead, Anakin and Mia bowed as well. The Svelk opened the door, motioning for them to get inside. Mia was the first to step in, gracefully sitting down on the far end of the bench. Obi-wan followed, sitting down next to her as Anakin sat across from them. The carriage started moving forward, taking them up the steep hill. Mia looked out the small window, watching as the buildings gradually became nicer and nicer throughout their ride, the slope of the hill slowly becoming gentler. Without warning, the carriage stopped. Leaning to the side, Mia looked through the window at the tall gate, the wall on their side seeming to wrap around the castle.

"We're at the gate," Mia announced.

"So it would seem," Obi-wan murmured, folding his hands inside his sleeves, looking overly thoughtful.

Anakin sighed, glancing at Mia as the nerves running down his spine prickled, a warning sign that something was wrong. She glanced at him for the briefest of moments, sensing the discomfort in him. Then her eyes flickered outside as the gate opened and they moved forward again. The gardens inside the walls were simple but nicer than anything outside. She exhaled softly as they stopped. Barely a moment later the door was opened again by the Svelk. Obi-wan was the first to step out, followed by Anakin. As Mia moved to get out the Svelk offered his hand. Eyebrows furrowed, she hesitantly accepted it.

"Right this way," A female Svelk spoke up, surprising them.

They followed without a word, wondering if anyone would introduce themselves. It seemed not. The first room was the throne room, something neither Mia not Anakin expected. Obi-wan stepped forward and approached the king, seated at his throne.

"Master Jedi," Sar-veina greeted happily as he stood up, arms held up in greeting, like they were old friends.

"Your Liege, I must say, it's good to see you under less dire circumstances," Obi-wan spoke, smiling as he clasped his right arm with his left hand.

"Please, call me by Sar-veina," He insisted. He glanced at Anakin and Mia, his eyes holding onto Mia for a long moment. It set her on edge. "And these are your apprentices, I did not get the chance to meet you in person."

Anakin and Mia stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do. They didn't often get to speak to diplomats, specifically monarchs, and they weren't entirely certain.

"This is Mia and this is Anakin," Obi-wan introduced them, gesturing to each of them.

"Wonderful to meet you," Sar-veina spoke.

Anakin and Mia did as Obi-wan had done, left hands grasping their right arm, just below their shoulders. Sar-veina smiled, pleased by the gesture.

"Rest up Master Jedi," Sar-veina continued, "We have much to discuss, dinner is in a few hours. Until then, rest."

They were led to their rooms quickly. Glancing out the door one last time as Anakin and Obi-wan were led further down the hall, Mia closed the door quietly. Looking over her shoulder, she sighed and dropped her bag on the large bed as she moved towards the window. It faced the city as it stretched down the hill and out past the walls of the city she could see the river and the forest behind. Her stomach turned uneasily as she heightened her senses, waiting for something, anything, the slightest sound to warn her something was wrong.

Nothing.

But it didn't feel like nothing.

Rubbing her eye wearily, she approached the bed. It was low to the ground, partially hidden by long, colorful pink and orange curtains. Turning, she collapsed on the bed almost weightlessly, the mattress cushioning her back. Her eyes closed momentarily.

_**She saw flash images of a rope and the crowd before her. She couldn't hear the official but she could tell by the way his mouth moved and the air around her almost vibrated that he was speaking loudly, almost bellowing.**_

Then she woke up, with a gasp, lying paralyzed on the bed. Turning, she searched for the last shimmers of light, lying against the wall with a pink hue. Taking a deep breath, she stood shakily and approached the window, watching the golden light slowly fade from the sky.

Someone knocked on the door from the other side, shaking her from her tired thoughts as she wondered how long she'd stood there watching twilight settle into the sky.

"Yes?" She called, not turning.

"Dinner will be served soon," The messenger spoke, her voice faint. "Everyone will be gathering in the great hall before moving to the dining hall."

Mia glanced over her shoulder, "Thank you," She murmured.

Turning, she approached her pack and reached for her green tunic. The fabric was softer than most of the clothes she wore normally. Untying the tight sash around her waist, she allowed the red fabric of her tunic to ripple to the ground. Slipping her arms through the loose, flowing sleeves, she gently shrugged it on, pausing only to slip her braid out from under the fabric. Reaching for a black sash, she wrapped it along her waist carefully, adjusting the tunic so it remained it place. Breathing in, Mia knotted the sash in the front, slightly turned towards her left hip with the ends hanging loosely instead of tucked in.

Just as she was turning to leave, Mia caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She was almost didn't recognize herself. Her once soft, almost round face had changed to reveal her more defined high cheekbones. Her fingers brushed against her cheeks, tracing the fading freckles that used to mark her skin noticeably. Closing her eyes, Mia reached back and pulled her braid over her shoulder. Slipping away the hair tie, she quickly undid the tight braid. Her dark hair brushed against her hips in thick waves as she pulled it forward over her shoulders, smiling slightly.

Anakin stood off to the side, watching Obi-wan as he spoke with the King in a language that was completely foreign to him. To his credit, he and Mia had both attempted learning but with little success. Sighing through his nose, he watched the other nobles converse, feeling the odd man out. It might have something to do with the fact that, apart from Obi-wan, he was the only human in the room. It might also have something to do with the fact that everyone in the room, even the female Svelk, stood a good foot or so taller than him.

Obi-wan chuckled somewhat at a joke the King made. This was not helping matters.

Then he caught movement in the corner of his eye and turned towards the doorway as Mia stepped in. In the dim candle light she was stunning, smiling as she approached him immediately. Anakin smiled, enjoying the way she looked with her hair down in thick waves.

"So, dying of boredom yet?" Mia whispered quietly as she stood at his side, glancing around the room.

"If I say yes will you put me out of my misery?" He asked her under his breath.

"No," She answered simply, smiling in amusement, "You, surrounded by nobles, making chitchat? I wouldn't pass that up. Hell, I'd pay to see it."

Anakin sighed, "Traitor," He mumbled.

Mia laughed lightly, "You'll make it through tonight," She assured him.

"Yeah, well we're not here for just the night, now are we?" He reminded her, "We're here until they manage to write a peace treaty or whatever."

"Or get sick of us," Mia commented teasingly. "Well, sick of you mostly."

Anakin opened his mouth, ready with a response, before he noticed the Svelk approaching. He seemed to be on the younger side, maybe their age—though, gaging age among the Svelk was proving to be challenging for Anakin. He was dressed nicer than many of the guests, his dark brown robes rippling gently with each step.

"I am Prince Sar'vetel," He introduced himself with their customary gesture, his left hand grasping his right arm.

Anakin returned the gesture slowly, "My name's Anakin."

The Prince turned to Mia, brushing his fingers along her palm as he held her hand up delicately. Mia's eyebrows furrowed, she could have sworn she remembered reading that the Svelk reserved physical content for close friends, family and courting.

"And who might you be?" Prince Sar'vetel inquired, his voice low.

"Mia," She murmured, uncertain.

He smiled, "Your whole name," He clarified.

"Mialera Rosslyn," She answered slowly, wondering when he'd release her hand.

Anakin shifted uncomfortably, noticing the way everyone was turning to watch Mia and Prince Sar'vetel. The King smiled proudly. Obi-wan's eyebrows furrowed in concern, making Anakin wonder why everyone in the room was making such a big deal about it.

The Prince released her hand gently, smiling.

"Come, honored guests, let's adjourn to the feast and be thankful for this night of peace as we begin negotiations for our peace treaty," King Sar'viena spoke, hands raised in the air as he motioned for all to follow.

Following the King, everyone entered the dining hall and began seating themselves along the long table that dominated the room. Mia frowned as she was separated from Anakin in the crowd, not wanting to get lost and somehow end up surrounded on all sides by people who didn't speak the same language as her. A language barrier was bad enough when you were Deaf trying communicate with a hearing person, a whole new language being thrown on top of it was near impossible for her.

By some luck, Anakin managed to snag a seat across the table from her. They exchanged a relieved smile. The chair to her left scraped softly against the wood floor as the Prince seated himself next to her. Anakin's eyes narrowed slightly and Mia glanced down at her plate before looking up at Anakin with an understanding look.

Within minutes they were served their first course. It was some sort of roll with meat baked inside and a thick brown sauce to dip it in.

"So tell me, what is it like living the life of a Jedi?" Prince Sar'vetel inquired, glancing between Anakin and Mia.

"It's a lot of work," Anakin answered shortly.

Mia raised an eyebrow at Anakin, not wanting him to get into some sort of trouble for being rude. Turning, she gave the Prince the sort of smile that always managed to make people forgive any transgression she or Anakin made.

"Our whole lives are devoted to training in the Force and serving the Republic," She explained simply.

"Is that why all Jedi are trained from such a young age?" He questioned, looking between the two Padawans.

Mia nodded, trying to ignore the way Anakin looked away, his eyes a little darker than usual. She was probably the only person in the whole Order who truly understood that look, understood what it meant to be an outcast within your community for something you had no control over.

"A lot of our most key instruction begins when we're young," She answered before shifting her attention to Anakin, "Though it's not unheard of for someone to enter the Order later in life, some of those individuals even have a higher affinity for using the Force."

Anakin looked up at her, surprised, and then masked that surprise before the Prince caught on.

The second course was quickly served after the first, a salad with some sort of blue leaf Mia had never seen before. And of course Anakin was going out of his way to avoid eating it, or any of it, really.

_Please try to avoid looking like blue lettuce is the absolute most disgusting thing you've ever seen_, Mia pleaded through the bond, wishing she could sign right now.

Anakin raised an eyebrow at her. _What's the point, even Obi-wan doesn't want to touch it. You won't even touch it._

Smirking, Mia stabbed her fork through the leaf and took a bite of it before suppressing a grimace at how bitter it was.

_You know what, I'm not a fan_, she agreed.

Anakin smirked and took another bite of his salad, trying to keep from gloating that he was right.

"So is this an ordinary occurrence for you, visiting new planets and meeting new people?" Prince Sar'vetel inquired, breaking their steady but silent conversation.

Mia turned to him, surprised, "I suppose you could say that, though we don't get to do much sightseeing on these assignments," She told him.

"Sightseeing, what is this strange word?" He inquired, befuddled.

"Exploring the sights, seeing historical sites or visiting popular destinations while visiting an unfamiliar planet or region." Anakin explained almost smugly, "Coruscant, where the Jedi Temple is located, for example is very popular for someone who is traveling because it has plenty places to visit."

The Prince nodded, "I'm sorry to say I have never left my kingdom and done this 'sightseeing'," He told them.

The doors opened as trays of their next course were served.

_Is it common for a meal to pass this quickly?_ Mia questioned as her half eaten salad plate was removed and replaced by a dark, bland smelling soup.

Obi-wan glanced down the table at his two Padawans_**, **__I don't believe you experienced this Mia, you were pretty sick at the time, but it's very common among royal courts on this planet here to have as many as ten courses in a meal so they're served in quick secession, naturally._

_Naturally_, Mia thought with a touch of sarcasm.

Anakin smirked faintly at her expression just before Mia sat up a tad higher. Lifting her hands, she placed her hair behind her back, revealing her exposed shoulders. Anakin felt his heart pick of slightly, trying not to notice the way the candlelight made the pale skin of her collar bone glow.

The Prince glanced at Mia slowly, his eyes skimming along her skin hungrily. It made Anakin's stomach drop, heating like it'd been set on fire.

He wasn't even sure he had any right to be this jealous. She wasn't his to keep and hide away from the world because she was her own person.

They didn't even technically refer to each other as boyfriend/girlfriend, not even to each other.

In some respects they were together, he was the only person Mia allowed any real prolonged contact—in the romantic sense at least. She was the only one he loved. They were in one way or another committed to each other and no one else mattered. But she'd only discovered the depth of his true feelings for her mere weeks ago.

Maybe this was something he needed to really talk about with Mia, when they had a chance alone, after this mission.

The rest of meal passed without any major incident, apart from Prince Sar'vetel speaking to Mia in a way that almost entirely excluded everyone out. A conversation Mia was trying to drag Anakin into each time to avoid the awkwardness of the unwanted attention.

He really didn't like this mission and it was only getting worse it seemed.

November 23rd, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

The following morning King Sar'viena spoke with Obi-wan and Anakin about approaching a peace treaty with the rival clan, discussing the reality of the rebels who would do anything to prevent such a treaty. The delegations were arranged to begin in the afternoon. This left Mia with a few hours of free time, seeing as the King had little interest in involving her with the treaty. Deciding to make use of it, she approached a few of the nobles, asking for their insight on the treaty.

Some had responded with a need to avoid any more bloodshed. Unfortunately many of the Svelk within King Sar'viena's personal advisory were either ambivalent or of the belief that such a war was a necessity to gaining control of their kingdom as well as the rival clan.

Lost in thought, she ended up seeking solitude within the courtyard, seated at a bench where she felt nobody would notice. She found the mixed opinion on the treaty very troubling, wondering what chance it stood in a court that had no fear of bloodshed.

"What are you doing out here?" A low, heavily accented voice inquired curiously. Mia's eyes snapped up at the Prince, surprised by his presence. "Shouldn't you be with my father and his court, overseeing the treaty?"

"It would appear the King does not see what impact I could make on the treaty," Mia answered slowly, wondering how frank she could be without coming across as rude.

It didn't seem the Prince was in anyway offended however.

"Well, I ask you, what do you think of the treaty?" He asked her, sitting down on the bench.

"From what little of it I've heard, I think it's flawed and sways too much in your favor," Mia explained, "I don't think the Kaz'ar clan will agree to the treaty without a considerable amendment in their favor."

Prince Sar'vetel smiled, "You're very honest, are you not?"

Mia bit her lip, "My apologies," She murmured quickly.

"Apologize, you should not," He insisted, "Whatever my father thinks of your value, he is wrong, you could make a great impact on this treaty."

Mia smiled hesitantly, thankful to know someone among this strange planet valued her.

"But, I do not wish to speak on the treaty," Prince Sar'vetel admitted, "I wish to know more on the life of a Jedi."

"Why, hoping to convert?" Mia joked with a wry smile.

The Prince's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Never mind," She murmured looking away before glancing back, "I was just making a joke."

"Do you do this a lot?" He inquired curiously. "Is this something the Jedi encourage?"

Mia laughed lightheartedly, "Um, no, the Jedi are definitely not big on sarcasm or a sense of humor in general," She explained. "But for me, yeah, I guess you could say sarcasm is more or less my natural state."

"Why do the Jedi not like sarcasm?" The Prince asked, his tone hovering over 'sarcasm' uncertainly, the word foreign to him.

"It's a bit of a culture thing, I guess you could say," Mia started, not sure how to explain it, "The Jedi are all about duty and responsibility and they take this very seriously. The Jedi Council is very serious and it's a bit discouraged because of that. So in a public setting such as a peace treaty delegation, a Jedi would not make a sarcastic remark or a joke in general. If you were in a private setting, like among friends, yes, a Jedi would probably crack a joke or two."

"And if you are being sarcastic towards me, as you were before, would that make us friends?" Prince Sar'vetel asked, eyebrows raised in a way that almost bordered on hopeful.

Mia paused, realizing she'd caught herself in a bind. "Uh, to be fair, I'm sarcastic with everyone, even people I just met," She tried to save face, "Like I said, it's a natural state, I do it all the time."

She bit her tongue for a moment, wanting to exit this suddenly awkward conversation as quickly as possible.

"Um, but, I should probably rejoin everyone before the delegation begins," Mia started, standing.

"They will not begin until after lunch, we still have some time left before begins," He assured her, trying to stop her from leaving.

"I've really missed too much as it is and I wouldn't want to get in trouble with Master Obi-wan," Mia pointed out. Dipping her head, she bowed to him, before turning to walk away.

Anakin sighed, bored out of his mind and wishing he were as lucky as Mia and able to skip boring diplomats and their boring conversations about diplomatic delegations and boring treaties. He wondered where she was this moment, knowing if anything, he'd probably get a nap in. He didn't get much sleep the night before, chased by nightmares he could no longer remember. From the weary look in her dark grey eyes this morning, Anakin could also guess she hadn't slept much either. Who could blame either of them? They almost died on this shithole of a planet the last time.

He could still hear her shallow breathing in the back of his mind, her lungs full of fluid as she fought off pneumonia, something she'd gotten risking her health to save him. She'd been carried onto the ship home in a cot with Jedi hovering over her to make sure she stayed stable for the trip home. The next week she'd spent on the couch, closely monitored, as her body fought off the illness. It made him realize just how precious his time with her was, that even the strongest of people could be hurt.

Then he felt it, the soft little light in the Force, hovering in the back of the room.

_No offense, stop thinking about it_, she told him bluntly through the bond.

He rolled his eyes as discreetly as he possibly could_, I'm sorry, was my worry bothering you?_

_Well it's not exactly helping any_, Mia commented offhandedly, almost irritably.

_Well gee, if it's not helpful, sure, I guess I can just turn it off_, Anakin responded as sarcastically as he possibly could without Obi-wan catching on somehow.

Force knew Obi-wan seemed downright psychic sometimes, even when he was planets away he knew just when Anakin was getting into trouble.

_Careful, you're not exactly subtle when you're trying to be subtle_, Mia teased.

Anakin glanced behind him, wanting to glare at her for the remark, and realized she wasn't actually in the room, or didn't appear to be, at least.

_Where the hell are you exactly?_ He questioned, looking back to the King as he droned on about how the conflict between kingdoms had begun.

_Well, let's just say that the guards told me I couldn't just interrupt everyone and strut on in like I owned the place_, Mia replied. _They were very nice about it though._

The sarcasm behind her last sentence would have gone unnoticed by anyone who didn't know her better. _I'm sure they were_, he agreed tiredly.

_Why exactly were you able to ditch class anyway?_ He asked her.

_Oh, didn't you feel how welcomed I was by our illustrious King?_

Obi-wan turned to look at Anakin with a raised eyebrow, looking like he was about to ask Anakin if he'd been paying attention. He didn't strangely, didn't even look at Anakin like anything had happened at all. All of which led Anakin to the conclusion he, and probably Mia, were in for a scolding.

Somewhere between lunch—which was about enough food to get your typical human through the next few days—and the arrival of diplomats, Obi-wan found time to collect his Padawans and give them a firm scolding.

"I'm in the middle of trying to plan a treaty and you two are bickering like younglings," He started.

"Actually, it was more of a," Anakin started before stopping at the glare Obi-wan gave him.

"I get it, neither of you like diplomatic missions and out of all the places in the universe, this is probably the last place you'd like to be," Obi-wan empathized.

"Actually, I think this and Tatooine are about equal on my list," Anakin commented.

Obi-wan sighed, "Please try to behave," He requested, "It's important."

Mia looked down at her toes, "Yes Master," She murmured.

At Obi-wan's prodding look, Anakin looked away for a moment, "Yes Master," He added, hoping now they'd move past this.

Obi-wan sighed wearily, "Alright, I suppose we best join the King in the throne room to welcome the guests," He decided.

Mia bit her tongue, holding back a comment.

"Unless welcoming guests means us standing behind you and nodding awkwardly as you talk to everyone in a language neither of us understands, I really don't see the point," Anakin spoke up, summarizing their collective concern.

"And if you had been paying attention as you should have during the planning of this treaty, you might have known I spoke with King Sar'viena earlier and he has arranged for both of you to have a translator at all times," Obi-wan explained.

"And would the King or Mia's translator happen to know she's Deaf?" Anakin inquired.

Mia rolled her eyes at his over protectiveness, "Don't you think that's a question I should have asked for myself?" She asked him scoldingly, sarcasm finely laced into her tone.

Obi-wan smiled in amusement before turning to Mia, "Yes and as per our usual arrangement, that is your decision to make," He told her.

Anakin opened his mouth, pointing out that her translator not knowing she was Deaf wasn't going to help her any. Then Mia kicked his leg, glaring. Closing his mouth, Anakin followed them into the throne room.

King Sar'viena was ignoring her for the most part, almost pretending she didn't exist. She found this rather odd because the Svelk highly valued woman as equals. Was it because she was human? He treated Obi-wan and Anakin with considerably more respect though. Either way, he was cold towards her. She put it behind her, not needing some stranger to validate her worth. Instead she focused on helping the ambassadors of the neighboring clan to settle in with everyone else. Mia was greatly relieved to know a majority of them spoke English. It made her life considerably easier.

Anakin was miserable though. It had everything to do with the fact that from across the room he could clearly see the Prince eyeing Mia and it unsettled him. She could more than handle herself and Anakin clung to that knowledge so as to keep his sanity.

Negotiations were not going well, as Mia had predicted. The King was becoming increasingly stubborn. That really was not helping. The Prince had at least suggested reevaluating the treaty, amending it so as to make it more agreeable for the rival clan. That wasn't going particularly well either. In the end, everyone seemed very relieved to move onto dinner.

Mia weaved in between the crowd, searching for a familiar face as everyone migrated towards the dining hall but all she saw was elbows and fabric. She was more than a foot shorter than the shortest among the guests and more than two and a half feet shorter than the tallest. It made her feel like a child all over again.

His rough, callused hand gripped hers and pulled her away from the crowd to the wall. She gave a relieved smile to Anakin, silently thanking him as he guided her along the outer banks of the crowd and into the dining hall. Releasing her hand, Anakin slipped her fingers so they rested along the crook of his elbow. For the Jedi it was far more appropriate than hand holding—Obi-wan had, at the very least, encouraged it on diplomatic missions and occasions such as galas. For the Svelk, it was becoming apparent that any sort of physical contact was a source for whispering and gawking. Offering Anakin an apologetic look, Mia slipped her hand away and approached two open chairs in the middle of the long table. Anakin seated himself next to her, trying to look like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

King Sar'viena stood, raising a glass of wine, and spoke in what Mia and Anakin assumed was some sort of toast about honored guests and peace negotiations, unable to understand a word of what he was saying. Anakin was beginning to suspect the King was just bolstering for the sake of the guests because earlier it didn't seem as though he truly cared about the successfulness of the treaty which was leading him to wonder why he had called for their aide in the first place.

_Pretty words, rotten core_, she'd said once. About who he did not know, only that it leaked under her breath as they stood among the Senate, reaching pandemonium about the Trade Federation as Chancellor Palpatine insisted he'd reign them in.

Mia gripped his hand under the table, looking down with a faint smile before looking up with a light in her eyes he'd missed the last few hours.

_**He found her hiding in the shadows of the balcony that overlooked the room that, in the morning, would hold the diplomats for their seemingly endless debate. Her arms were crossed, her long hair draped over her shoulders and spilling down to her hips. She was beautiful in ways he could not express.**_

"_**Are you going to stand there, or are you going to kiss me?" She whispered, her voice so low he almost didn't hear her.**_

_**She turned, her grey eyes darkened. They lightened as they roamed across him. Reaching forward, he brushed his fingers along her cheeks before pulling her in close and kissing her hard, urgency rising. Their crashing lips softened for a moment, moving slower as they savored this peaceful moment.**_

_**Pulling away, he looked at her before noticing her darkened lips. "Anakin?"**_

_**She swayed, weightless for a moment before the thud of her crashing against the stone floor rang in his ears. He shouted her name…**_

He jolted up in a cold sweat, gasping as he reached for a light switch. Suddenly he gained his bearings, recognizing that he was in a land where not even a faint current of electricity ran through. Sucking in a deep breath, he felt around the night stand for the matches and the candle, wanting more than anything to fill the darkness with light. That was the second nightmare in a row.

Standing, he changed into his regular Jedi tunics, certain there wasn't a chance in Hell he was sleeping again.

November 24th, Four Years Before Galactic Empire

Mia lay awake, restless, in her bed. Her mind wandered aimlessly between topics ranging from unsuccessful treaties to the youngling show Shesh watched—The Sciency Adventures of Synic—and how she almost wanted to watch it with Shesh when she got back to the Temple. She heard a knock on her door and glanced up. Who would be visiting her at this hour?

Sitting up, she carefully got out of bed and moved towards the door. Opening it slightly, her eyes widened at Anakin's worried, exhausted expression. Opening the door wider, she motioned for him to come in. The light of his candle softly illuminated her room, casting flickering shadows across the stone walls. He closed the door behind him and placed the candle on the dresser. Turning, she moved towards her nightstand and lit a match to light the candle.

"Nightmare?" She asked him evasively as she crossed her arms, looking away.

"Yeah," He murmured before glancing at the crumpled ball her covers had taken too. "Can't sleep?"

Shaking her head, Mia fell back on the thin mattress of the bed. "What is this planet doing to us?" She whispered.

With a sigh, Anakin sat down next to her, "I don't know," He admitted. "Maybe coming here was a mistake."

Mia glanced away, "We came here too soon," She stated, "We aren't the right Jedi for this mission."

She shivered, glancing out the open window. "It's strange how cold it is at night," She mentioned, "During the day it's so hot and muggy."

"It just sticks to your skin," Anakin agreed.

"But nighttime, it's just cold," Mia concluded, sighing as she leaned her head on Anakin's shoulder.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders protectively, his chin resting on top of her head. She could feel his breath brush along the hairs on her head.

"Will you just say?" She requested, "Just for the night."

"You know I will," He whispered.

Nodding, Mia adjusted herself so she was lying on the bed. Standing, Anakin walked to the dresser to blow out the candle before lying down on the other side of the bed. He pulled the covers up so they rested over their shoulders. Leaning forward, Mia blew out the candle before resting her head on the pillow. She smiled faintly as Anakin wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing her to his chest. Closing her eyes in the darkness, she relaxed, letting his comforting Force presence sooth the anxiety welling in her heart.

Anakin stayed awake, watching the stars float in the sky in his refusal to fall asleep.

Obi-wan paced down the hall before walking to the room Mia was staying in. He knocked on her door slowly, testing to see if she was awake. She was usually awake and dressed by this time.

"Mia, are you up?" He asked her.

He heard some rustling behind the door and quick footsteps.

"Yeah," She answered slowly, hesitantly.

"Might I come in?" Obi-wan requested.

"Um, not exactly dressed Obi-wan," She warned him.

He glanced away, mentally scolding himself. "Do you have any idea where Anakin is?" He asked her.

"Does it sound like I know where he is?" She questioned him incredulously.

"Right," Obi-wan replied awkwardly, "My mistake."

With that he left, hoping maybe his young Padawan would at least make an appearance for breakfast. It was surprising he wasn't still asleep with the deep hatred for mornings he held. His best guess was that Anakin hadn't gotten much sleep the night before.

Anakin chuckled as lowly as he could. Mia turned to him with an unamused look.

"It's not funny," She stated, trying not to laugh herself.

"Sorry, it's just… your tone of voice… that was priceless," Anakin pushed out between fits of laughter.

Rolling her eyes, Mia motioned towards the door, "You should get going," She told him, "Obi-wan will be expecting us at breakfast."

Nodding with a mischievous smile, Anakin approached her and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. She sighed through her nose in contentment just before he pulled away and left.

With a long drawn out sigh, Mia took off her grey sleeping shirt and dark brown pajama bottoms and searched through her pack for what she wanted to wear. This time she packed more clothes than she normally would, guessing that peace negotiations would take quite some time. Now, of course, she knew she had been very right.

Sighing, Mia pulled out the longer white tunic. She hadn't really gotten a chance to wear it yet. She felt it brush against the back of her knees, stretching just an inch or two below them. Normally the hem rested a few inches above her knees, mostly for movement. She glanced down at the long slits running up the sides. That at least made up for the lack of mobility. Reaching into her pack, she pulled out a thin pair of dark grey leggings, perfect for the muggy weather. Pulling on her boots, she carefully pinned her hair into a loose bun in the back of her head, wanting it off her neck this time.

With a yawn, she left, faintly able to hear the soft padding of her boots against the stone floors. She wasn't really looking forward to breakfast and the endless cycle of food, delicious as it was. In all honesty, she wasn't hungry at all.

To her great surprise, the hall wear the diplomats usually arrived for breakfast was completely empty. Was she really early or really late?

Suddenly someone on her left stood up and she turned, surprised to see the Prince.

"Good morning Master Jedi," Prince Sar'vetel spoke.

"Um, just Mia please," She requested, very tired of the formalities.

"Mia," The Prince repeated with a smile.

"Is everyone already at breakfast?" She asked him, glancing at the doors that led into the dining hall.

The Prince nodded.

"But you aren't," Mia added, confused.

"I need to speak to you," He explained, "Unfortunately the translator assigned to you fell ill and no others could be summoned."

Mia sighed, disappointed, "Oh," She murmured.

"But, as you well know, I am fluent in both languages," He added, "I'm certain I could act as a competent translator."

Mia paused for a moment, "I can't really ask that of you," She started to argue.

"It's already been decided upon," Prince Sar'vetel stated, "It was my father's idea."

Mia nodded slowly, realizing she didn't have much choice in the matter. "Alright then," She agreed, "Should we join everyone else for breakfast?"

"Of course," Prince Sar'vetel agreed, raising his arm for her to take.

Taking it hesitantly, Mia allowed him to escort her inside. The second the doors opened, all eyes were on them. She was immediately aware of the way Anakin's eyes narrowed and tried to smile sympathetically without being too obvious. The second thing she noticed was that the only available seats were next to the king and near on the opposite side of where Anakin sit. The Prince moved forward, walking to the two available seats. Mia resisted the urge to meet Anakin's eyes, only barely managing it. Prince Sar'vetel pulled her chair out for her and motioned for her to sit. The second he sat down they were served their first course.

Obi-wan glanced at his young Padawan, wondering how she felt about the change. He got the sense she found the Prince's attention completely unwanted and this certainly wouldn't help.

Well that's new, Anakin thought irritably.

Obi-wan sighed through his nose, I get the sense she isn't exactly in favor of it.

Anakin sighed and glanced at Mia who was chatting with King Sar'viena and his son. It made his skin crawl watching the way the Prince's eyes casually wandered across her skin, like he was trying to claim her as his own.

Moments after breakfast ended Obi-wan and Anakin came to the unanimous conclusion to talk to Mia. Weaving through the crowd, they caught up with her and Prince Sar-vetel as they made their way with the King to the main hall to begin the negotiations again.

"Might I borrow her for a moment?" Obi-wan requested of the Prince, his hand placed firmly on Mia's shoulder.

Prince Sar-vetel looked between them, concerned.

"It's a security matter," Anakin added easily.

Nodding, the Prince walked away.

Mia let out a long, relieved sigh and glanced at Obi-wan thankfully.

"Where's your translator?" Obi-wan inquired, concerned.

Looking around her quickly, Mia briefly signed: _Sick_.

"So you're without a translator?" Anakin questioned.

"Not exactly," Mia muttered, smiling at the diplomats as they passed through the halls. "The Prince has offered to translate for me."

Anakin's mouth fell in shock, a hot course of jealousness burning through his stomach. Obi-wan looked troubled, feeling something was greatly off-balance.

"Yeah," Mia agreed under her breath.

Anakin sucked in a deep breath, "Are you going to tell him you're Deaf?" He asked her.

Mia hesitated, "I'd like to avoid it," She explained, "Unless I really start missing something, then I might have to explain it."

Obi-wan nodded.

"You could just sit with my translator," Anakin suggested before he could stop himself, wanting Mia as far away from the Prince as possible.

"Not an option," Mia argued, "He's been assigned to me by the King."

Obi-wan glanced at Anakin, running his fingers through his growing beard in concern. This greatly troubled him. If King Sar'viena had taken zero interest in Mia's contributions to the treaty only a day ago, he had to wonder what the change of heart had come about.

"Anyway, I should catch up to them," Mia added before turning and walking away.

"Do me a favor, keep an eye on her, don't leave them alone," Obi-wan requested of his other Padawan.

Not needing to be told twice, Anakin followed her.

The delegations continued as expected. Anakin sighed as he watched everyone debate and argue endlessly, barely listening as his translator recited the pieces of conversation he couldn't understand. Mia sat next to the Prince, who was seated next to the King. She might have been an unwelcomed presence by the King yesterday but that had definitely changed. She was included, her opinions asked, and he couldn't quite figure out why that had changed so suddenly but he was beginning to suspect the Prince had everything to do with it.

December 1st, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

The following week progressed slowly. They'd hardly gotten any peace for themselves, dragged between lengthy meals and negotiations. Mia was constantly with the Prince, though she seemed reluctant to be around him so much, instead seeking out Obi-wan or Anakin whenever possible. Ten days into negotiations, a seven day break was decided upon, giving the nobles time to relax and refresh before beginning again. Mia had mostly spent the first day and a half among the commoners, getting their take on the conflict between clans. Obi-wan spent all his time locked away in the King's throne room, amending the treaty with great care.

Anakin was just left to accompany Mia when he could or listen to King Sar'viena and Obi-wan when there was no chance to escape.

December 2nd, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

Mia walked through the town, sampling the market with great curiosity. She always marveled at the new sights, sounds, smells of a new place. Market places were a favorite of hers, it gave her ample opportunity to sample new cultures. This afternoon Prince Sar'vetel was accompanying her, acting as a translator given that most merchants spoke very little to none of her language.

She listened as the Prince translated the reply of a spice merchant to one of her questions. He was facing away from her. That always made her nervous, even when she could hear. It was a sign of disrespect or ignorance when a person looked away from a Deaf person while speaking, a sign of a lack of interest, a boredom in another person. She struggled regularly with this and while she could sympathize with someone who didn't know any better, it didn't change her concerns she'd miss something he was saying.

Then she missed something, too lost in thought to pay attention. She gently tapped the Prince on the arm, trying not to sign out of habit.

"Could you repeat that?" She requested.

Nodding, Prince Sar'vetel glanced back at the merchant, "He was just explaining… verandi spice… very favorable…" It came in bits and pieces in their crowded environment.

She tapped him again, "If it's alright, could you face me when speaking?" She requested, "I'm a little hard of hearing, I sometimes rely on lip-reading in loud environments."

"Hard of hearing?" He questioned, surprised.

Mia nodded.

"I would not think the Jedi would allow someone hard of hearing among their ranks," The Prince pointed out, not quite believing it.

"I'm a special case," Mia added, smiling in an attempt to smooth the transition.

Nodding, Prince Sar'vetel motioned for her to follow him as they approached another vendor.

December 3rd, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

Mia found herself sitting among the greenery of the gardens, on the very same bench she'd taken up about a week ago. She felt exhausted mentally. She was wishing that Anakin would just magically find her. She'd hardly seen much of him. It felt as though the Prince was deliberately keeping them apart. Of course, Mia felt ridiculous thinking that way. Even still, the absence of Prince Sar'vetel was a relief, soothing even.

Then, as if to spite her, she felt the approaching presence of the Prince. She panicked slightly and stood, looking for a quick exit, hoping to escape before he saw her. Suddenly he appeared, a smile on his face. She sighed and sat back down on the bench.

"Mia," He spoke.

"Your Highness," Mia whispered, glancing away.

Suddenly he pulled her hands into his, his grip strong enough to hold her there as she tried resisting and pulling her hands back.

"Please, stand," He requested, smiling graciously.

Unable to deny him politely, she stood, glancing away. She could feel herself wishing Anakin would show up, push him away, but at the same time wished he wouldn't. He'd been harboring feelings of jealousy and that wouldn't end well.

"Mia Rosslyn, would you take the honor of becoming my bride?" Prince Sar'vetel requested, smiling still.

She leaned back, eyes wide in shock. He couldn't really be asking that. They'd only known each other for two weeks, surely he couldn't have marriage to her on his mind. Not to mention she didn't love him, she could never love him, not when her feelings rested with Anakin.

Taking her hands back, Mia shook her head. "I'm afraid I cannot," She told him simply, "I have sworn an oath to the Jedi not to take on attachment and marriage is expressly forbidden. I must keep my oath."

His eyes narrowed slightly and he turned away. "If you feel that way," He replied coldly.

She watched him walk away, a icy feeling in her stomach, twisted by a sense that everything would go horribly wrong.

December 3rd, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

Anakin ran through the halls, searching desperately for Mia. He couldn't find her and his heart was beating fast. There was a darkness in the Force he could not pinpoint down and Mia's absence was making his stomach turning, knotting together. He could tell Obi-wan was becoming increasingly worried, searching for Mia on his own, through probably less conspicuous about it than Anakin was.

December 3rd, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

Obi-wan continued his search, hoping he'd just chance upon Mia hiding somewhere. He checked the library again, knowing she was prone to habiting libraries of all kinds. Creaking the door open slightly, he peeked him. He raised an eyebrow in surprise as he spotted the King and his son.

"She did just as he predicted," Prince Sar'vetel whispered in the native language of the Svelk. "How did the darkness know she wouldn't accept?"

Obi-wan eyebrows furrowed at the use of the word 'darkness'. Over the two weeks he'd spent on this planet, he'd learned more and more of the language of the Svelk. Darkness was a term that had many meanings. It could be literal, meaning an absence of light. It could mean evil. It could refer to someone who was evil. That was greatly worrying.

"That is not your concern," King Sar'viena spoke in English. "You did well."

Nodding, the Prince walked away. Backing away, Obi-wan disappeared into another room before he could be spotted.

December 3rd, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

Mia found herself in the fields, something she'd planned on visiting this afternoon. She was interested in the agriculture of this planet. After all, the last time she had been on this planet she had to heavily rely on her knowledge of herbs used for healing. It was the females of the tribe that worked in the fields while the males worked in trades.

"In a few months we will be having a harvest," Ko'minna explained. She was the leader of one of the crews responsible for tending to the vegetation.

Mia nodded slowly, looking around the long lines of plants. The bushes around them in particular contained a white, fluffy flower of sorts used in healing. Mia didn't notice the way Ko'minna looked away suddenly, her attention drawn to something else. Instead, Mia's eyes were trained on the berries sprouting from the ground on vines that winded up the branches of the bush. Reaching down, she plucked a handful, wanting a closer look.

Suddenly Ko'minna slapped her hand away, forcing her to drop the berries. "Don't child, you'll be gone in seconds!" She warned Mia.

"This berry produces a toxin that puts you to sleep, each berry lasting an hour," Ko'minna explained, "Your heartbeat almost stops, your breathing shallow."

"What does it do to the brain?" Mia inquired.

"I heard it has no lasting effect on the brain," She answered.

Ko'minna glanced away again, her eyes drawn to the soldiers marching towards them. She didn't notice the way Mia crouched down again, wondering if she could take the berries back to Coruscant and examine them closer.

"Jedi Learner Mialera Rosslyn, you are under arrest by order of the King," Two soldiers spoke in unison.

Alarmed, Mia stood, eyes wide. Her hand slipped as they grabbed her by the arms and forced her to the ground. She struggled as they tied her hands, shouting at them.

"What are you doing?!" She cried out, "I'm a Jedi, I demand to know what you're doing."

They pulled her to her feet and dragged her down the fields towards the city. Before she knew it she was pushed into a cart with lined with hard bars. She hit the ground hard, her teeth piercing through her bottom lip, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth. She kicked as the door was shut behind her. The cart started moving as she struggled to get up, knocking her down again. Squirming, she kicked to force herself up and push her shoulder into the door desperately. She called out desperately but couldn't hear her own voice, bringing on a new terror as she realized what they'd done to her. She reached for her lightsaber next. Eyes wide in horror, she realized they'd taken it away when they arrested her. Tears slipped down her cheeks in panic as she tried to call out through the Force to Anakin and Obi-wan.

December 3rd, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

The town square was loud and filled with svelk crowding around as they poured into the center towards the platform. The bells were tolling, echoing through the city, calling the citizens out from their homes. The rustling of voices speaking over one another came to a stand-still as King Sar'viena stepped out, followed by his son.

"My subjects, I bring before you a criminal in disguise!" The King called out, arms held wide as he addressed his public in their native language.

Obi-wan and Anakin looked between each other, not sure what was happening. They turned to their accompanying translator, listening with concern. Who was this criminal? A common thief or had they caught one of the many rebels that had been at large.

A cart was wheeled out onto stage, covered by a dark red cover.

"Somethings wrong," Anakin signed, "Where's Mia?"

Obi-wan looked around the crowd, "You felt her panic, the same as me," He signed, "I haven't been able to find her."

"I can't hear her, I've been trying to call out for her but she isn't responding," Anakin added, watching the King nervously as he continued to speak to the public.

"Behold, the traitor!" King Sar'viena shouted in English, pulling the cover off the cart.

Obi-wan and Anakin's eyes widened, their hearts racing. Mia stood in the cart, caged in, hands tied, looking around the square wildly, grasping at the bars in fear. Obi-wan swallowed thickly, noticing the wide grey band across her neck. A Force-suppression collar. He'd only had to encounter it once before but he knew all too well the numbing, empty feeling it left the wearer, detached from the Force in a way no Jedi ever should be. It was terrible enough for any normal Jedi, but to a Jedi who used the Force to hear, it must be terrifying.

"Jedi Learner Mialera Rosslyn, you are charged with treason against the crown and are sentenced to death by hanging at noon in three days' time," King Sar'viena announced in English, facing her.

* * *

Please, please review, I love feedback and I will be posting the next chapter of this adventure next Friday


	4. The Horrible Tale of Salloo T4 Part III

December 3rd, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

The cell was dark, too dark for anyone to see clearly. It was unforgivingly cold, making Mia huddle into herself as she paced rabidly. The floors and three of the walls surrounding her were hard stone walls. The fourth wall was made up of metal bars, too thick to wrap her hand around and too narrowly spaced for her to reach her arm all the way through. It smelt damp and musky, like they were underground. She didn't know if she was in the palace or the underground catacombs she'd heard about, they blindfolded her when they moved her from the moving cart—cage was a more accurate term really—to her cell. She knew she was forty feet or more from the nearest door and her cell was ten by seven feet so it was safe to guess that there were at least three cells to her right and maybe more to her left that she couldn't see. She wondered if there were other prisoners. It made sense. She wondered if they were talking or trying to talk to her specifically. She couldn't hear. She couldn't feel the Force either. She hated that, being forced out of the world she knew, barred off from it.

December 3rd, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

Obi-wan and Anakin charged into the throne room, not noticing that the guards hadn't bothered to stop them. King Sar'viena sat on his throne, sipping wine with a disinterested expression as he eyed the two Jedi before him. He expected this response. Behind him stood the Prince, a gloomy, irritated expression taking over his features.

"What are the charges?" Obi-wan spoke first, motioning for Anakin to let him take care of this.

"The charges?" King Sar'viena spoke, sounding like he'd forgotten all about the events minutes before.

"You sentenced her to death!" Obi-wan shouted, starting to lose his patience, "Under what charges did you decide death was a punishment suited for a fifteen year old girl?!"

Prince Sar'vetel stepped forward, "She refused my marriage proposal." He stated simply.

"Your what?" Anakin growled, eyes narrowed.

"I proposed to her, she refused," The Prince repeated himself, eyeing Anakin.

"In our Kingdom, for anyone to refuse marriage to royalty, let alone the Crown Prince, is a crime punishable by death," King Sar'viena explained.

"That's ridiculous," Obi-wan stated, not quite believing it, "How is that considered a crime? She's not even from your planet, she does not follow the traditions of your people, she follows the traditions of the Jedi and the laws of Coruscant. You cannot charge her with this."

"She is a guest in my kingdom, in my palace, and as such she is expected to abide by the rules of my kingdom." The King stated calmly.

"You knew she would refuse," Obi-wan murmured, remembering the conversation he'd overheard between the King and his son earlier in the day. "You knew she would refuse a request like that and you allowed it to happen anyway."

"My son was kind enough her offer her the chance to be his queen, a high honor to nobility, let alone a human like her," King Sar'viena spoke, his voice beginning to rise in his fading patience, "The charges stand and if you continue to revolt against my reign you may join her."

Anakin stepped forward, his hand twitching towards his lightsaber as he prepared to take matters into his own hands. Obi-wan gripped his shoulder firmly, hold him back with a steely look in his eyes. Turning, he dragged Anakin out.

December 3rd, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

Anakin glared at Obi-wan as he shut the door to his room. Now that they had privacy he was ready to lay it into Obi-wan.

"How can you just stand there calmly when her life is in danger?!" Anakin shouted.

"I'm not calm!" Obi-wan shouted back, his jaw tight and his face red. "But getting ourselves thrown in jail will not help her."

"Then we'll break her out of prison," Anakin decided.

"If we do that might cause even more trouble for her. We need to talk to the council, get them to rally to the senate to have her return to Coruscant to face her _charges_," Obi-wan stated, spitting out the word like it was vile. "If we can get them to put the motion into action we can save her."

"And if we fail?" Anakin challenged.

"Then we'll try your idea," Obi-wan decided. "We won't let Mia die."

December 3rd, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

She'd spent the last hour, or what felt like an hour, pacing along her cell, her mind whirling. She knew Obi-wan and Anakin were going to do everything to save her. Obi-wan would, undoubtedly, seek out this King and try to reason with him and have her released. If that didn't work, Obi-wan might plea with the Jedi Council or the Republic Senate to have them intervene. Anakin, of course, would jump straight to escape plans.

Maybe they'd break into her cell at night and take her away from this planet on their ship.

They might wait until her execution date, three days from now. It might be more strategically advantageous that way but she really didn't want to spend the full three days in this cell.

What if they couldn't save her in time.

Mia curled up in the corner, her eyes watering. She was scared, truly scared. She didn't want to die. Wincing against the chill of the stone walls, she put her hands into her pockets. Eyebrows furrowing, Mia pulled them back out, looking in the darkness at the round little lumps in her hand. She recognized the subtly bumpy texture. How had they ended up in her pocket? She didn't remember dropping them in there when they arrested her and she wasn't sure how they managed to stay there when all she'd been thinking about was the insanity of the situation. Mind whirling, she counted them, seven little berries. Putting them back in her pocket, she zipped it up, keeping them secure in there.

December 3rd, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

"The situation has turned dire," Obi-wan spoke, looking between the council members, "We need you to go to the senate and convince them to force the Ha'yar clan into allowing her to stand trial on Coruscant."

"I agree," Mace Windu was the first to speak, "If we can get her to stand trial here the charges will be dropped immediately."

"Whatever we do, we cannot allow them to execute her," Master Kit Fisto added.

"We'll speak to the Chancellor and get him to call an emergency meeting of the senate and push the petition in motion," Master Windu decided.

"Concerned, I am," Master Yoda spoke up, "Behind this, I sense much darkness."

Obi-wan paused, "You mentioned at the mission briefing that you had your reservations," He pointed out.

"Proved wrong, I hoped to be," He explained, "Foolish, that was."

"I think we should also speak to the more compassionate members of the senate," Master Plo Koon added, "They can help spearhead this motion."

"I'll arrange for a meeting with the Chancelor immediately," Master Windu added. "We'll update you tonight."

"Thank you," Obi-wan thanked them, bowing.

When the transmission cut out, Anakin stepped out from behind the shadows, "Do you think they can really pull this off?"

"They'll have too," Obi-wan murmured. "We don't have any other option."

December 3rd, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

Mia looked around before gripping the fabric around the hem of her shirt. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she ripped it. Reaching into her pocket, she wrapped the berries in it. Turning, Mia pulled out a loose stone in the wall and placed the hidden berries inside. She didn't want to risk losing them somehow—squashing them in her sleep, the guards searching her pockets. In a little more than two days she was supposed to face her execution and as much as she hoped Obi-wan and Anakin would have a plan, she needed to make sure she had a backup plan ready.

December 3rd, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

Under the hazy starless skies of Coruscant, three shadows met under the cover of the Senate Dome as speeders and citizens travelled past. The world went on nosily as the three whispered among themselves.

Senator Bail Organa shifted his gaze between the two Jedi, "And you're saying you want the Senate elect to have her stand trial on Coruscant."

"But three days, has she left." Yoda sighed, lowering his head.

Master Kit Fisto looked to Senator Organa, "We need you to make sure the Senate elects in favor of bringing her back to Coruscant," He requested.

The senator sighed and bowed his head for a moment in thought. "Three days, that's not much time for the senate to come to a decision, let alone enough to get the forms filled out for that particular planet's requirements." He thought out loud.

"And what would be the specific requirements for Salloo T4?" Master Fisto inquired.

"In the Salloo system all requests from the senate must go through the capital Salloo Macro and their own government will determine whether they will release the Padawan," Senator Organa explained thoughtfully. "Salloo Macro is, however, very against the presence of outside governments."

Yoda's ears dipped down sadly.

"Fortunately, they are far more civilized than most of the planets within its system, and they will find the charges and punishment set up by the King as barbaric." Bail Organa added, hoping to ease their concerns. "And they come to a decision quickly, they won't waste time."

"If you don't mind me asking, what is the name of her Master?" He inquired.

"Obi-wan Kenobi," Master Fisto answered.

Bail Organa nodded, "I very clearly remember him being on good terms with the Queen Amidala, perhaps she can influence the senator of Naboo to help out," He mentioned.

"Thank you, Senator," Yoda spoke softly.

"Oh, anything for a Master Jedi," Senator Organa spoke cheerfully. "So, I'll bid you goodnight and start making a few calls."

Master Yoda and Kit Fisto bowed and turned to leave.

December 4th, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

_**He ran through the crowd, pushing strangers away as he ran forward to the stage. He saw her wide grey eyes stare up the rope, watering as she bit her lip hard. The King stood behind her, spitting out garbage about her charges and her sentence while guards gripped her thin arms so hard it looked like they'd break. Tears slipped down Mia's eyes, running down her cheeks and sliding down her neck as they poured out. He shouted her name, trying to make her just look at him. He'd save her, he'd save her. He hard to.**_

_**Anakin tripped, sliding to the ground. Standing, he rushed forward again, determined to reach her in time. His heart stopped, seeing her lying on the ground. Her hair, messy and knotted, hid her face. He shouted her name.**_

Anakin woke with a start to a dimly lit room, Obi-wan standing over him with a tired, concerned expression, his hand placed reassuringly on his shoulder. Gasping, Anakin shrugged off Obi-wan, looking away.

"I know," Obi-wan murmured sympathetically, "I know."

Breathing heavily still, Anakin blinked back the tears he could feel building up. He didn't want to cry, not when she was still alive and there was a chance to save her.

"I keep having these nightmares," Anakin gasped out, looking away.

Obi-wan's eyebrows furrowed in surprise, "I wasn't the only one?" He clarified.

Anakin shook his head, "Mia had them too," He murmured, "From the first night we got the assignment."

Obi-wan sighed, "This isn't good," He murmured.

"Well no shit!" Anakin exclaimed irritably.

Obi-wan sighed again understandingly. "What were her nightmares like?" He asked after a moment.

Anakin shrugged tiredly, "I wouldn't know, she never really wanted to talk about them," He whispered, "All I know is how spooked she looked afterwards."

Obi-wan nodded again, looking away, "And yours?" He asked after a moment.

Anakin swallowed thickly, "She always died in them," He whispered, looking away.

Sitting back down, Obi-wan looked over the old blueprints of the underground catacombs, "I think if we have to intervene ourselves, we should wait until she's out in the open and take her," He whispered.

"Well, hate to break it to you, I just had that dream and it…" He trailed off bitterly.

"We'll get lost under there, we don't even know if she's hidden somewhere in the palace or underground," Obi-wan pointed out.

"Well you know what, we'll figure it out and we'll save her that way," Anakin argued.

Obi-wan pinched the bridge of his nose, "I promise you, I won't let anything happen to her," He insisted to Anakin, his eyes steely.

December 4th, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

Mia paced along her cell, her fingers running through her long hair as she sucked in deep breaths. She didn't know how long the berries would kick in. She could eat them in the cell when the guards took her and appear dead before she reached the town square. What would happen to her then? They clearly didn't care what happened to her. Would they even tell Obi-wan or Anakin right away? If she ate them when she was in front of the crowd, however, they might not kick in before she was hung. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to screw it up.

Sliding down the stone wall, she felt tears slip down her cheeks. Suddenly Mia saw movement in the corner of her vision. A rat scurried along the stone floors of her cell, searching food. Struck with an idea. Mia took the small package she'd hidden the berries in and took out one. Taking in a deep breath, she tossed one at the rat. Heart hammering, she watched as the rat nibbled on the berry.

One… two… three… four… five… six…

The rat fell on its side, not breathing, or not breathing as far as she could tell. With baited breath, she watched it carefully for any signs of life.

The minutes seemed to stretch on for hours and the longer the rat went without any signs of life, the more tears began to slip down her cheeks. Hand clamped against her mouth, she tried not to sob.

Without warning, the rat got up and scurried away from here. Taking a deep breath, she smiled with hope.

December 4th, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

A senate meeting had been called late in the afternoon. After much debate of any fallout with the Salloo Macro government and the likelihood of Mia being released into their custody, a sounding vote had been called in her favor. The Jedi Council had been called in to fill out the forms for her release.

December 4th, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

Mia found herself pacing in her cell again, a new question repeating itself in her head. She couldn't count exactly how long the rat had remained in its catatonic state. She'd been told each berry had a lasting effect for an hour before seemingly sudden revival. If she took more than one berry, which she'd have to do for Obi-wan to have time to take her off the planet, how long before she woke up.

What if they lasted a lot longer than five or six hours? What if the more she took, the longer the effect lasted? Like the way ice cubes would fuse together and take longer to melt. What if they took her to Coruscant and place her in the funeral pire, burning. Would she wake up during the burning?

She cried, heart racing with panicked thoughts.

It wasn't fair. All her life the Jedi told her that there was honor in returning to the Force after death. There was no honor in death. There was pain and moments left unlived and family members left angry and hurt and longing for just a second longer if it meant they could say goodbye. Tears slipped past as she realized that if she truly died, she wouldn't get to say goodbye to Anakin and Obi-wan.

There was an untold fear when one was left to confront their imminent death. Every moment was its own personal Hell.

December 4th, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

The inside of their ship was dark, and a little cold. Anakin fidgeted as Obi-wan made contact with the Jedi Council. They both prayed that there would be good news. The comm. link beeped and in a moment three Council members were standing before them. Masters Yoda, Windu and Fisto looked between Obi-wan and Anakin. Anakin held his breath, unable to tell if it would be good news or bad news. Obi-wan gave him a reassuring look, certain the Council would have a solution.

"Agreed, the Senate has. Put into motion, young Mia's appeal is," Master Yoda spoke finally.

Obi-wan and Anakin breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"There's more though," Master Windu warned them.

The two glanced between them. They got the Senate on their side. What more could there be?

"Senator Organa of Alderaan has warned us that it could be days before the government of Salloo Macro makes a decision," Master Fisto explained.

"She doesn't have that long," Obi-wan argued. "We have but a day and a half to save her!"

Master Windu nodded. "If they cannot reach a decision in time, you are to intervene with whatever means necessary," He instructed Obi-wan. "We won't allow her to die."

"Yes Masters," Obi-wan agreed, bowing, "Thank you."

"Updated, we will keep you," Yoda concluded before the transmission cut.

Anakin slumped against the wall of the ship, not sure how relieved he could be when Mia was still in a cell. He couldn't imagine what she was going through. His life had been in danger, and he had to face those situations as they came, but nobody had every sentenced him to death by execution.

"Well, we're on our own," Anakin muttered, tired.

"Not necessarily," Obi-wan commented, deep in thought.

Anakin laughed but it was dry and bitter and it left his throat raw, "We only have to disable twenty armed guards in a crowd of civilians and run off with a prisoner without any backup," He argued.

"Well, not entirely without backup," Obi-wan stated, "The second we have Mia, she'll be fighting on our side."

Anakin nodded slowly. "Right," He murmured, "We might want to get our hands on her lightsaber."

Obi-wan nodded in agreement, "Any ideas?" He inquired.

Anakin nodded, "Identify where it is and steal it," He decided.

"Well, as highly detailed as that sounds, I worry that when we steal it, King Sar'viena will arrest us for treason and we'll be standing beside her." Obi-wan pondered, "Perhaps in the hours right before her… execution."

He struggled with that word. He couldn't deal with the idea that he might fail and lose her.

December 4th, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

_**Mia smiled as she heard soft, melodic singing. The voice was foreign to her, as was the song but it was so warm. It reminded her of warm afternoons in meadows and soft, green grass. She felt fingers brush through her hair as the smell of smoked honey biscuits drifted through the air. Light floated through the air as though it was sentient. It was so strangely peaceful.**_

Her eyes opened. The hard stone floor pressed into her back and hips and the damp cold soaked into her clothes and skin. She couldn't see the ceiling above, it was so dark. Only small glimpses of candlelight would pass through this empty place. Tears slipped down the sides of her face, into her hair, as she took in the sudden, jarring change. The dream was so warm and kind and she would give anything to go back and escape her predicament. Her stomach rumbled with hunger. The guards tossed her a stale roll from time to time, dinner. They gave prisoners scraps while the King sat in his palace, eating ten courses for every meal, so much of it going untouched.

She wanted so bad to escape this reality.

Sitting up, Mia gently touched the crevice she'd hidden the berries in. When they came for her, whenever that was, she needed to be ready.

When the guards came, she would push the berries into her mouth straight away. She knew they'd tie her hands together first, she didn't know if they'd be tied in front or behind her. She wouldn't chew until she saw the crowd. Those few seconds wouldn't take long and she had time. From what she'd observed of the King, he would make a long, lengthy speech about her treason. That would be more than enough time for them to kick in.

December 4th, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

Obi-wan stood outside in the shadows, the cool night air chilling his skin. He watched carefully for nearby guards or citizens passing by. Up above Anakin was scaling the side the castle, swearing colorfully through the bond he and Obi-wan shared. He supposed Anakin hadn't anticipated the great challenges of climbing up the side of a stone wall when he volunteered. Perhaps the best person to attempt this was the person they were doing this for. Mia, for reasons he did not understand, has always held a great love for climbing and reaching high places.

_Well, you were right_, Anakin mentioned through the bond.

_It's there?_ Obi-wan checked.

Y_es and, quite honestly, I think I might end up committing actual treason_, Anakin added, buckets of sarcasm pouring through the bond. _He's keeping Mia's lightsaber in a glass case in the center of his bedroom like it's a trophy._

Obi-wan sighed. _Now we just need to think of a way we can steal it and be back in time for tomorrow's events without the King noticing._

_That's not going to be easy_, Anakin commented as he began to climb down.

Sighing, Obi-wan didn't say any more, not wanting to distract Anakin while he climbed down the side of the castle.

"Well, I had a brilliant idea," Anakin spoke up just before he jumped down the last ten feet of his climb. Landing soundly, he smiled at Obi-wan's curious expression. "I placed a bug inside King Sar'viena's room."

"Well done," Obi-wan complimented him. "Though, if you don't mind me asking, where exactly did you get your hands on a listening device?"

Anakin smiled innocently, "Oh, I just happened to find it on this ship today."

Obi-wan frowned, realizing that was the only answer he was going to get. "Well, regardless of what you really intended it for, I'm quite thankful you brought it."

"You really should hold back on that statement when you find out what I really intended it for," Anakin muttered before looking up at Obi-wan with a grim smile. "So, back inside to plot?"

"So it would seem," Obi-wan agreed.

December 4th, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

Anakin frowned as he listened to the heavy snoring of the King as night passed slowly. He had anticipated overhearing some conversation between the King and his guard, some small hint that would lead him to Mia. He hadn't anticipated something so boring from a person who had no hesitation when sentencing a fifteen year old girl to death.

He wondered what was going through her mind right now.

Was she planning some sort of escape? She would, she'd pace and carefully consider all her options.

Was she asleep maybe? Dreaming something extraordinary and beautiful in the ways that only her mind could? Or was she in the middle of a nightmare?

He didn't like to think of that. She'd had a nightmare here and there over the years and he was always the first person she turned to. Mia had told him, every now and again, that being next to him made her feel safe.

Anakin felt as though he'd failed her in that moment. He'd failed to protect her, unable to keep her safe. She was alone in some dark hole, cold and scared, trying to hold out hope.

December 4th, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

_**She laughed as they weaved around the crowd at the gala, a celebration for the Chancellor's birthday—though for the life of her, she couldn't remember which one. Anakin grinned as his fingers grasped her hand, pulling her outside onto the veranda. Paper lanterns hung from strings above their head, a soft glowing light warming the distant night. She'd never been on Naboo before but she'd head so many stories about it from Anakin and Obi-wan. It was more stunning that anything she could have pictured before.**_

_**From outside she could still hear the slow melody from inside the ballroom as dignitaries and guests danced slowly.**_

_**Smiling, Mia looked out at the ocean in the distance, admiring the way the bright glow of the moon bounced off of the ripples in the current.**_

_**Anakin's hand squeezed hers. She glanced back at him, smiling warmly.**_

"_**I don't normally like diplomatic missions but I really enjoy it here," Mia murmured softly.**_

_**The music changed to something softer. Anakin took her other hand in his and placed it on his shoulder. Raising her right hand, he carefully led her in a dance, their movements slow. As they circled around on the veranda to the pace of the gentle music, Mia smiled. Suddenly Anakin pulled her in closer. There was little space between them and she could feel the steady brush of his breath along her hairline.**_

"_**I don't think we've ever danced like this." She whispered.**_

"_**We haven't," Anakin whispered back as the music grew quiet. "I'm not sure when we'll get to dance like this again."**_

_**Her eyebrows furrowed as the glow of the lanterns above dimmed. Suddenly they exploded with sparks and a sinister laugh echoed through the darkness.**_

Her eyes jolted open as her heart pounded in her ears. Her chest ached painfully before she realized where she was, remembered her fate. How much time did she have left? A day? She wasn't even certain if it was night or day outside this prison.

Sighing as her stomach grumbled with pain again, she looked towards the cell bars, surprised to see a roll of bread laying on the ground. Getting up, her legs shaking a little, Mia walked towards what was possibly her last meal here. She grimaced as she noticed the tail of the rat poking out from the side. It twitched for a moment.

She sighed again in defeat, realizing the rat she'd probably poisoned had come back and gotten to her dinner first.

Sitting down on the floor again, Mia curled her knees to her chest and dipped her head so they rested on her knees. It was safe to assume that, at this point, they'd chosen to wait until her execution to save her.

December 5th, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

The first thing he remembered when he woke up was that today she was supposed to be executed. Three days after being sentenced. Three days to sit and wait for her impending death. It made him angry in ways he couldn't remember experiencing before. Sitting up with a scowl, Anakin glared out the window. Down below, in the town square, soldiers were setting up a wooden platform. Standing in front of the window, he counted all the possible exits out of the square, wanting to know the best way to get out of the city and to their ship. They would have to move very quickly through the city and, more likely than not, fight multiple assailants along the way.

Which made him wonder exactly what state Mia would be in when they rescued her. It wasn't hard to imagine that they'd be stingy over giving food to prisoners. It seemed to be a universal on more primitive planets to deprive prisoners of food. At least on more civilized planets there was a code for how much a prisoner was fed, despite the quality of the food being less than appetizing.

He should prepare for the reality that she wouldn't be in great fighting shape. Sighing, he stood up and left his room.

December 5th, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

Mia stared at the stone wall ahead, her knees pressed to her chest as she slumped against the wall on her right. Her blood sugar was too low, her body had probably begun to go into starvation mode as the hours stretched between her last meal and now. That wasn't even accounting for the dehydration. Maybe the Svelk didn't have to worry about dehydration like humans did.

Suddenly there was a surge of light from behind the bars. Eyes squinting at the change of light, she glanced at a Svelk dressed in simple robes. Around his neck hung a pendant of three metal circles that stretched out, one after the other. It was joined together by three simple, thin metal bars. She recognized this as the symbol of their religion.

She must be getting close to her execution date.

That thought resonated within her mind, desolate and hopeless.

When had she become so hopeless? Even with hope grasped in her fingers, she lacked it.

The Svelk was talking, his lips moving minimally. Standing slowly, she shakily approached him.

"I am here to… your last wish…"

"You want to know what my dying wish is?" She questioned, irritated.

He nodded. "It is tradition."

"Tradition got me in here in the first place," She muttered.

Her eyes were accusative, staring at him as the fire of the torch in his hands reflected off every pigment in her eyes.

Her eyes widened with a realization.

"I know my last wish," She whispered.

"Speak Child."

"I wish to have my funeral on my home planet of Coruscant. I want them to wait a full rotation before they have my funeral," She spoke quietly, "I want you tell Master Obi-wan my last wish. Can you do that for me?"

He nodded, "It shall be done," He promised before leaving, taking with him the burning torch, leaving her in the darkness.

Left along in the darkness of his cell, she returned to the loose stone where she'd hidden away the berries and tucked it into her pocket. It wouldn't be long now.

December 5th, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

Anakin stood still on the crate as Svelk began to gather in the town square, the hood of his cloak pulled over his head. To his left he could sense Obi-wan shifting through the crowd, looking for some sort of cart or method of transportation he could "_borrow_" when they rescued Mia.

_Perhaps you could try to look a little less conspicuous, Master._

The suggestion carried with it a sarcastic tone that would, on any other occasion, lead to a long-suffering sigh or groan from Obi-wan.

_You're standing on a crate in the middle of a crowd_, Obi-wan pointed out.

_Given the height difference of the Svelk and my need for sight on the square, I don't quite see your point._

_But, no seriously, you need to appear as if you're not going to steal the first cart you see_, Anakin stated. _Act like you're on your way somewhere important._

_You say this as if you have personal experience._

He probably would have smirked at Obi-wan's sarcastic retort but this was not the day for such things. He wondered how much longer he'd have to wait. Her execution was set for noon and as much as he dreaded seeing them paint her as a criminal and try to kill her, there was a part of him that wished for it to begin so that he could save her and end this madness.

December 5th, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

The berries sat in her open palms as she took deep, calming breaths. The anxiety of this was making her stomach turn and knot into itself. Mia hoped she wouldn't throw up, she really didn't want to throw up. She supposed by this point, despite all that she had hoped, her berries were her only hope at this point. Obi-wan and Anakin would have to watch her die, or appear to die. That would terrify them, devastate them. Knowing Anakin as well as she did, she knew his first response to that would be anger and then depression. Obi-wan would be upset, even angry but he'd push it back, swallow it whole, so that he could continue on. He'd comfort Anakin. She hoped he would.

They didn't deserve to go through that, even if it only lasted a few hours.

Suddenly light flashed in the corner of her eye. Turning, she watched the two guards as they began opening her cell. Shoving the berries into her mouth before they could see them, she stood slowly.

They were rough, pushing her to the wall as they tied her hands behind her back. She hadn't been wrong in her assumptions. Clenching her jaw so that she didn't accidentally pierce the skin of the berries, she allowed them to drag her out of her cell. She passed three cells on her way out, one of them was empty. The remaining two contained a prisoner in rags, ribs visible and skin the color of ash, no hint of their naturally blue skin. They looked up at her as she passed, their eyes hallow. It scared her. She hoped for her sake that her eyes didn't mirror theirs.

They took her up a series of stairs, walking so fast it was hard for her to keep up. Her head felt fuzzy and focusing on maintaining her balance was hard. Suddenly a bright light shined above her, burning her eyes with its intensity. The stone under her feet became wood and as her eyes began to adjust to the light, she saw the crowd ahead of her.

It spanned across the square as they all stood over each other to gawk at her.

Why had so many gathered to watch her die?

Cold hands grasped her neck as the warm metal band around her neck, the Force-suppression collar, was removed. The wave of warmth she felt from the Force overwhelmed her for a moment as she tried to regain her balance with it.

"Jedi Knight Mialera Rosslyn," King Sar'viena spoke, his voice booming across the town square.

Suddenly she sensed him standing in the crowd, the hood of his cloak pulled over his head. She met his gaze steadily.

There was so much she wanted to say right now, to assure him she was going to be okay.

She didn't have that luxury.

She started chewing.

Anakin pushed through the crowd, trying to reach her. Pushing Svelk aside, he tried to keep her gaze. He would get to her in time, he was determined to.

Mia gasped as her vision began to blur, and her dizziness overtake her as she began to sway in the grasp of her guards.

Anakin…

She suddenly fell, slipping out of the hands of the guards as she collapsed on the stage.

"No!" Anakin shouted, pushing farther.

The guards crouched down next to her, shaking her shoulder as they tried to wake her again. Obi-wan ran onto the stage, pushing past the guards standing at King Sar'viena's side. Anakin climbed onto the stage, shoving the guards to the side as he knelt next to her.

"Mia, Mia can you hear me?" Anakin called out as he pressed his fingers to her neck, checking for her pulse.

"Mia!" He called when he realized he couldn't feel it.

Obi-wan crouched down next to him, hovering over her face as he tried to determine if she was still breathing.

"She's not breathing!" Obi-wan declared as rolled her so she was on her back rather than her side.

"Come on Mia!" Anakin begged as Obi-wan began compressions.

There was a murmuring in the crowd as they watched all this happen. The King stood in shock, watching Obi-wan and Anakin crouch next to her, trying to save her still. Finally Obi-wan noticed the way her lips had turned purple, her face ashen. Already she was growing cold.

"Anakin, she's gone," Obi-wan murmured, pulling away.

"She can't be!" Anakin insisted, cradling her head in his hands.

"The young Jedi has passed."

The person who said this was a monk of the temple of the Svelk. He hung his head low, his hands forming a circle as he begun to pray.

Anakin felt a stray tear slip down his cheek as he turned away in shame. He had failed to save her.

"Would you like to hear her last wish?" The monk inquired, standing over Obi-wan.

"What?" Obi-wan questioned, confused.

Had Mia made one last request?

Kneeling down next to the Jedi, the monk whispered in Obi-wan's ear. Anakin watched as Obi-wan's eyes widened in shock.

"We must return her to the ship," Obi-wan muttered once he'd regain his composure. "Anakin, I need you to take her to the ship now."

Anakin's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion but he chose not to question the request, there was something in Obi-wan's tone that told him not to argue. Silently, Anakin scooped Mia up in his arms and stood up. She was so light in his arms. The crowd separated as he stepped off the stage, making a clear path for him to leave.

December 5th, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

Anakin waited in the ship for Obi-wan to return, silent. His back was pressed against the door to the sick bay, where Mia rested, dead. He'd skipped past anger and gone straight to distraught. How did it happen? What was what he couldn't figure out. She was standing there, steady and alive and the next thing he knew she was dead. Nobody had hurt her yet, there wasn't even a weapon. How could she have died? She was only fifteen, she didn't have any health problems, she couldn't have died.

She did though, and he was helpless to stop it. He'd failed before he'd even tried.

He heard footsteps heading up the ramp to the ship. Sighing, Anakin stood up. Obi-wan stepped aboard the ship and took in the grim sight of his Padawan.

"I think this one time I'll pilot the ship," Obi-wan decided, noticing Anakin's red, puffy eyes and his drained expression. "First, though, I'd like to see Mia."

Stepping past his young Padawan, Obi-wan stepped inside the sick bay. It was more of a closet than a room, containing one cot, a chair and a hoard of monitors and displays. Mia rested on the cot, motionless. Swallowing thickly, Obi-wan stepped closer to her. Reaching out, he ran his fingers through her hair. It was tangled and dirty from her time in the dark cell. He stared at the purple stain on her lips, disturbed. Reaching into a drawer, he pulled out a cotton swab and a test tube. Gently, he opened her mouth just enough to take a sample. He didn't want to think it but, given her last wish, he had to wonder if she'd been poisoned. Dropping the thin cotton swab in the test tube, he placed a cap over it and placed it back in the drawer.

"Mia, what did they do to you?" Obi-wan whispered.

Taking her cold hands, which rested at her sides, he held them in his. All those signs he'd dutifully learned so he teach her to communicate, and she'd always been so eager to learn them. She would pick them up so quickly, unable to get enough. He so fondly remembered the way she'd follow him all over the Temple, happily discovering new nooks and crannies, new little places she could get into. She'd been in his life for nearly thirteen years and in all that time it never occurred to him that he'd lose her so soon.

A tear slipped past, rolling down his cheeks until it fell and landed on her fingers.

Looking away before he begun to lose himself, Obi-wan gently placed her hands so that they rested over her stomach. It was so easy to imagine she was just sleeping peacefully, taking a little catnap before they returned to Coruscant.

Turning, he left the sick bay and made his way to the cockpit.

December 5th, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

She smiled at the way the sun warmed her cheeks. She could the sound of water trickling down a creek, feel the soft grass pressed into her skin, smell the aroma of the wild flowers around her. Gentle hands ran through her hair, carefully combing through it. Mia smiled at the soft humming of a melody she'd never heard before. Opening her eyes, she stared up at the owner of the familiar voice. The woman smiled at her with such warmth and love, her light blue eyes more stunning than the skies above. Her long blond hair brushed against Mia's cheeks as she sang.

She didn't know how she knew, but she knew who this woman was.

"Momma?" Mia whispered, smiling softly.

"My darling daughter, you're more beautiful than I could imagine," Saru murmured, smiling wider than thought possible.

Sitting up more, Mia pulled her mom into a tight hug. "I miss you," She whispered.

"I know, I miss you too," She spoke, "More than anything, I miss you."

Mia rested her on her mother's shoulders, her arms gently wrapped around her waist. Saru pressed her cheek to her daughter's head, holding her close.

"I'm so proud of you, you know that?" Saru whispered, smoothing the stray hairs away from Mia's face. "Everything you do, it makes me so proud. You're strong and independent in ways I wish I could be."

Mia smiled warmly as she looked up at her mother, amazed by this moment. It seemed so impossible somehow and she couldn't remember why. She didn't really remember where they were or how they got here. Maybe that didn't matter, this moment was so perfect. How could anything else matter?

December 5th, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

Anakin sat in the chair next to her bed, staring blankly at the wall. He couldn't bring himself to look at her, to see her and know how terribly he'd failed her. He couldn't bring himself to leave her either, these were his last hours with her. When they arrived at the Temple she'd be taken away, prepared for her funeral. Sucking in a deep breath, he watched her still, peaceful expression. Her eyes her closed, locking away the stunning grey eyes that would look at him in love, crinkle with happiness and laughter, well up with tears when the world was unkind. Her hands rested over her stomach, gently overlapping each other. They always appeared so soft and small from a distance but if he'd just turn her palm over, he could trace the rough calluses from hours and hours of lightsaber training.

It was funny, when he first arrived at the Temple she wanted nothing to do with him. The teacher had chosen her to guide him around the Temple on his first day of class. At first she barely said a word to him and he couldn't imagine why. Slowly, though, she began to like him. She'd decided he wasn't so bad. It wasn't until he'd been living at the Temple for a few weeks that he'd learned why she'd been so distanced from him in the first place. Obi-wan had promised to train her when he became knighted. Then he took Anakin on as an apprentice and broke that promise to Mia. It was understandable then why she'd have preferred to never speak to him in the beginning.

She was his very best friend though, and he loved her with all his heart.

How could he have failed her like this?

Sighing, he took her hands in his. His thumb trailed over the knuckles of her left hand.

He'd give anything for her to wake up right now, look at him in concern when she saw his expression and ask him why he was so upset.

December 5th, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

She couldn't figure out why she felt so cold when not too long ago she'd felt so warm. Something cold and hard pressed into her back and all around her she could hear the whirling of machines. Her muscles were stiff, refusing to move and her chest felt tight. The air smelled sterile and dry. Mia couldn't remember how she'd gotten there, only that a moment ago she'd been sitting in a meadow with someone familiar. It was hard to breathe with her chest so tight and her eyes wouldn't open.

Someone sniffled, taking a deep breath. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you," Anakin whispered.

_Anakin?_

Her heart ached to just hold him, to feel safe in his arms. She'd wanted that for so long. Taking in another shallow breath, Mia tried to open her eyes, to twitch her toes or her fingers. With each failed attempt, her body began to feel like a prison, unyielding to her need to just open her eyes.

He had her hands in his, his breath brushing against her knuckles.

She felt so light headed and it was hard to remember why she felt so sick, why she couldn't move. Just opening her eyes was a challenge. Taking another breath, she tried to twitch her right thumb. It moved, she thought it did at least. With each breath she focused her efforts on opening her eyes and moving her fingers. Slowly her chest began to relax, not as tight as it had been before. Warmth was beginning to spread through her body, working from her chest to her limbs and back again. The mental fog was beginning to thin, clearing away slowly. Mia wondered faintly if all this was because she was drugged. That seemed like the only reasonable explanation at least. How had she been drugged?

The bitter sweet taste, the soft bumpiness of their surface. As those memories began to resurface, she realized what she'd done.

Taking another deep breath, she tried to open her eyes again. The stiffness in her muscles was beginning to fade away but still she lacked the energy to move much.

Her eyes cracked open. Anakin sat with her hands in his, his elbows propped on her frigid cot as he leaned forward with his eyes shut. There was something about his pale skin and his rigid, unmoving position that made her want to hold him close because something deep within her realized she'd caused that pain.

Her thumb twitched again as she tried to speak but her throat was dry and no words could be made. He dipped his head down in response as if he'd noticed but refused to believe it, to hope that maybe she wasn't dead after all. In one jerky movement, she rubbed her thumb along a rough circle along the surface of his hand.

His blue eyes snapped open as he looked at her in surprise. "M-Mia," Anakin mustered up, taking a shaky breath.

"Hey," She whispered, her voice raspy and croaked.

"You're, you're alive," He whispered, a hopeful smile beginning to form.

"I faked my death," She rasped out, squeezing his hand weakly.

Anakin smiled wider, "You sound terrible," He mumbled bluntly, looking so relieved.

"I never said it was fun," Mia whispered, attempting to sit up.

As she faltered, almost falling back onto the cot again, Anakin held her up. In a second he was on the cot and he'd somehow maneuvered her so that she was pinned to his chest while her legs rested over his. Resting her head heavily on his shoulder, she tried to look up at him. There was a wide, brilliant smile splitting his face and if she wasn't mistaken, his eyes had begun to water with happiness.

"You didn't have a pulse," He realized, shocked and slightly alarmed. "How did you face not having a pulse?"

"Salloo T4 has this berry, it sort of acts as a temporary poison," Mia mumbled, "It slows the heartrate and breathing drastically so that you appear dead. It lasts a few hours."

"How the hell did you get your hands on it?" Anakin questioned, shocked.

"I was in the fields were it grew, I guess it was a weed of some sort, when they arrested me." Mia explained slowly, "I guess some of it got caught in my pockets."

Anakin pressed a kiss to her forehead, undeniably happy that she was here with him now. Then he noticed the way she was shivering, possibly from the cold. Reaching over, he grabbed a few blankets out from the cupboard next to him and wrapped them around Mia to keep her warm.

December 5th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as he sensed something odd coming from the back of the ship. Sighing, he checked the approximate time of arrival to Coruscant. They'd been in hyperspace for nearly five hours, in less than an hour they'd arrive at the capital. Pressing autopilot on, he left the cockpit. It was strange, but he could swear he sensed Mia in the back of the ship. That couldn't be however, Mia had died five hours ago on Salloo T4. Reaching the medical bay, he was alarmed by how much stronger her Force presence became.

Opening the door, he was surprised by what he saw. Mia sat, wrapped in several blankets, in Anakin's arms. Her eyes flickered his way in surprise as she smiled slowly.

"Mia," Obi-wan started, at a loss for words.

"Obi-wan," She croaked out, smiling wider.

"She's not dead," Anakin stated, figuring it'd be easier if he eased Obi-wan into it. "She faked her death with a berry that acts like a temporary poison. It made it appear like she didn't have a pulse and that she wasn't breathing."

"How in the Force did you get your hands on such a thing?" Obi-wan questioned, shocked.

Mia smiled slightly, "Luck. I happened to be standing where they grew when they arrested me."

Obi-wan nodded slowly, taking it all in. "Then how do you feel?"

"Like I woke up from a five hour coma," Mia answered bluntly, looking exhausted. "I just need some rest, lots of water and some food."

"Well, we'll be at Coruscant in less than an hour," Obi-wan stated as he left. "I think an immediate trip to the healing ward is in order."

Mia sighed and glanced at Anakin, sensing that would inevitably be her first stop on Coruscant.

"Get some rest," Obi-wan suggested.

"Okay," She mumbled in agreement.

When the door closed behind him, Mia looked up at Anakin with a soft smile. Pressing another kiss to her forehead, Anakin thanked the Force that Mia had been so clever, so lucky. He hated to imagine a world where he had truly failed in saving her. He'd never forgive himself for failing her like that. Mia smiled, closing her eyes slightly as she rested in Anakin's warm embrace.

December 6th, Six Years Before Galactic Empire

A long, cloaked figure stood in the shadows, a blue light casting a glow on his silhouette. The room was empty, even the guards had been ordered outside. The comm. in his hand blinked, beeping quietly. Reaching forward, he set it down on the table and turned it on. An image of a man hidden behind a cloak appeared, the blue light of his hologram lighting the dark room. His hood was pulled over his face until the only thing left of him was his hooked nose and his sinister smile.

"King Sar'viena, report in," He requested, a slight snarl in his tone.

"My Lord, it has been done," King Sar'viena spoke, kneeling. "The young Jedi has died and is being returned to Coruscant for her funeral. Now please, send your supplies so we may fight our righteous war."

Darth Sidious scowled, "Your lies do not serve you," He warned, "The child still lives."

"No my Lord, that cannot be," King Sar'viena insisted, "The girl fell dead at her execution."

The scowl worsened. "Then tricked you have been, deceived by a foolish girl." He stated, "She has returned to Coruscant alive and well and is resting within the Jedi Temple."

"Your failure is disgraceful and shall not be tolerated," Darth Sidious stated.

"My Lord, I did everything you asked!" King Sar'viena insisted.

"And still you fail," Darth Sidious growled out. "I have no use for you. Your supplies have been sent but this war shall not be fought by you."

King Sar'viena opened his mouth to argue that there was no one else to fight this war. A stain of red bloomed out from his chest as a sword was pushed through his back, between his ribs, piercing his lung and heart until it stabbed out. The King gasped as blood quickly filled his lung, pain spreading like fire before he became numb. The sword was pulled out and King Sar'viena dropped to the ground, dead and soaked in his own blood. Prince Sar'vetel bowed to Darth Sidious.

"My Lord, I am your faithful servant, allow me to finish what my father could not," The young prince, now king, requested.

"I have no use for you in this task," Darth Sidious decided. "It has come to my attention that a poisonous berry grows in your fields and that it leads to a false death."

Sar'vetel's eyes widened in realization.

"You are to cultivate it and send it to me," Darth Sidious stated. "Fight your war but grow for me the tools to fight mine."

"As you wish, my Lord," Sar'vetel agreed, bowing.

* * *

And there you have it. Please leave me a review, they make my day every time!


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